Mortal Elf
by Serrah-Angel
Summary: Two best friends fall into Middle Earth. It's essentially a self-insertion of my best friend and I. Now Rated M, for mature content.
1. Chapter 1

Two best friends fall into Middle Earth. Shouldn't be a Mary Sue, because it is a self insertion.

A/N: I do not own the Lord of the Rings or the characters.

***Chapter 1***

I lay in my bed, entangled in the light sheet spread across my body. My eyes felt heavier and heavier as the movie I watched wore on. There was a Lord of the Rings marathon running on the television. I don't know what it was about the movies, but every time it was on, I had to watch it. As the battle of Helms Deep waged across the screen, I finally lost consciousness falling into the darkness of sleep.

Gasping in my sleep, my body was so entangled in the sheet that it was close to bindings. After carefully extracting myself, my sightless eyes wandered about the room. I saw the drapery about my room casting shadows. While the television cast flashing, bright colors across the room. I stood in the center of my room, unaware of the world in my black spaghetti strap camisole and boy short underwear. Without a second glance, I mindlessly walked from the room; a small part of me wondered where I was going. But that part of me held no sway over my body anymore, I left my plain room behind. I walked through my home and out the front door onto the empty street outside. A street light shone down brightly on me, but I paid it no heed. Instead I walked to the end of my street and continued down until I reached the park at the end of the road. It wasn't a long walk, I was lucky to have this bit of sanctuary so near to me. I walked barefoot into the dark woods, adoring the feel of wood and soil beneath my feet. The air was so clean in here, I quickly wandered off the path and into the untamed part of the park where animals still wandered about. I stared up at the clear sky, looking at the stars and the moon above me. My body began to feel cold, the part of me that was trying to be conscious slipped deeper into sleep. I could feel the air around me changing, pressing harsher upon my scantily clad body. Finally, my body collapsed onto the floor of the forest, relinquishing me from the trance that my sleeping body had been captured in.

The air around me was quite cool, which was odd considering that it was summer. I opened my eyes and was greatly confused by where I was, I was lying in a forest that I didn't recognize. The last thing that I remembered was watching TV and falling asleep. Though I had the hint of a dream that I had wandered into the woods near my house, but I thought that it was just a dream. I quickly rose from the ground, brushing the leaves and dirt from my body. As I looked around the trees looked so very old, older than any of the ones I had seen in the park back home.

I ran my fingers through my long brown hair, plucking some leaves from the tangled mass. I was really confused as to where I was, it had been a while since I had last woken in a strange place. I had been sleep walking since I was very young and normally I ended up back in my bed thanks to the help of my family. But this time I was nowhere I recognized.

I walked a little way among the bushes and trees in the thick wood that I stood in and soon found a path, worn by horses traveling across the forest floor. I walked along the path at a slow pace, letting my eyes wander the plants and trees around me. It was really beautiful here, I almost hoped that this wasn't just a dream because it was so lovely. I walked along, until I spied some wildflowers growing on the side of the path. Intrigued by the scent that was billowing out from them, I wandered off the path and kneeled, smelling the pretty flowers.

It turned out I was so entranced by the scent, that I failed to notice that there were hoof beats followed by footsteps approaching me from behind. When I finally did realize that I was no longer alone, there was already an arrow aimed at my head.

"Who are you?" the archer asked me, making me more nervous due to the way he stared at me as though I was an enemy.

"Um, my name is Deirdre. Could you please tell me where I am?" I asked him, hoping that he would lower the arrow and maybe help me.

"You are within the borders of Rivendell, and will be taken to Lord Elrond." He said, then looking at my attire. "And properly dressed."

I nodded my head, not really understanding everything. Then looking down at my clothes, I mean yeah it was pajamas but that doesn't mean it's that bad. My mind was pondering that, when it hit me. Did he just say Rivendell? As in _The Lord of the Rings_, Rivendell?

"Am I in Middle Earth?" I asked, my mouth finally willing to function now that my brain had managed its processing.

"Where else would you be?" he asked me sarcastically, it was then that I spotted his ears.

Peeking out from under his blonde hair were pointed ears, he was an elf. Well, I was guessing he was an elf. For me pointed ears weren't the best indicator, considering all my life my right ear had been pointed. I was waiting until my next birthday to get the other one done to match. It had always bothered me over the years that everyone commented how I was only half elven, cause I only had one pointed ear. So I was going to fix that as soon as possible. Somewhat unconsciously I ran my hand over my left ear, the normal ear. I paused. Gripping my ear, then raising my other hand to feel my right ear.

Now that wasn't right, I thought. Both my ears had points now, my eyes widened a little. I couldn't believe it, how was that even possible. It should take surgery to do that, but no, my ear pointed itself on its own accord. After processing this, I looked back up at the elf before me who had lowered his bow, but now stared at me strangely.

"Are you an elf?" I asked him.

"Yes, what else would I be?" he asked me, there was that sarcasm again.

I rolled my eyes a little, I didn't know that elves were so sarcastic. Maybe it was just this elf, but it was starting to get on my nerves. After all, I was lost and here he was being rude.

"Are you ready to ride now?" he asked me, a little more polite than previously.

I nodded my head, he took my hand and helped me up onto the horse. I had rode horses before, but I was always a little nervous if I hadn't been around the horse for very long, afraid that it would toss me off and then step on me. Before I had time to think about the horse tossing me off, the elf was behind me and wrapped his arms around my sides to grip the reins. I remained still, not wanting to cause him to let me fall from the horse.

We rode in silence down the path, I eventually relaxed a little so that I wasn't sitting so stiffly in front of him. However, it was kind of cold here and I was rather scantily clad right now, so I shivered occasionally and leaned back into him trying to get a little body heat from him.

"Um, I just realized I don't know your name" I said to him, after about 15 minutes of riding.

"I am Bainanu." He responded, continuing to look ahead as I stared up at his face from my placement on his shoulder.

"Are you one of the guards?" I asked him.

"Yes, I am. Do you know much of Rivendell, Deirdre?" he asked.

"Not really. I don't know much about Middle Earth in general." I responded slightly absent mindedly.

"Where are you from then? And how did you get here?" he questioned.

"A different world I think, and I'm not entirely sure about that one." I said with a laugh.

"What do you know of Middle Earth?" he asked.

"Only what I read in stories." I began, then decided that I should tell him the rest. "Where I am from, Middle Earth is fictional and just a story written down years ago."

"How odd, I'm sure Lord Elrond will want to talk to you." Bainanu said.

"I want to speak with him as well. Maybe then I will be able to get back home." I said, more to myself than anything.

We both fell silent after that, continuing the rest of the ride in silence. I began to lose focus on the world around me.

"Bainanu, can I rest while you ride?" I asked him, barely retaining my focus on the path in front of us.

"Yes," He said. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall."

As soon as the words left his lips, I fell into the darkness of sleep as the sun was setting on the horizon. I don't know what knocked me out, normally I'm a night owl and stay awake all night. But there was nothing I could do to hold onto reality just then.

A/N: That's Chapter 1. So please review and give me some feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Bainanu's POV~

I looked down at the sleeping girl in front of me. At first I thought she was an elf, she had the pointed ears and was rather beautiful and seemed so full of grace. But when, I looked at her body, which was displayed by her lack of clothing, it was apparent that she was anything but elven. Her body was curvaceous with ample bosom and wide hips, and her legs were shapely. Her brown hair flowed down to her waist and had pale blonde streaks through it. She said that she only knew about Middle Earth through stories, which added to my confusion as to her race. Maybe she was an elf in her world, and just seemed different than what would be our normal elf here. Whatever the case may be, I needed to bring her to Elrond. He would know what to do with her.

The rest of the ride to Imladris wasn't very long, and we arrived about half an hour after she fell asleep. I would have told her to stay awake until we arrived, but she was barely maintaining consciousness as it was. I rode until I had neared the house of Elrond, where a stablehand met me. I handed down Deirdre to him momentarily than dismounted myself and took her back into my arms.

I walked over to a bench to lay her down, until I could find Lord Elrond, when I was approached by the Lady Arwen. I nodded my head to her as she eyed the woman in my arms.

"Who is this?" she asked me.

"Her name is Deirdre, I found her on a path during my patrol. She said that she wasn't from here and so I was going to take her to your father. She said she wanted to get home." I replied, looking back on it. That probably wasn't the best idea, after all, she was a stranger and I just brought her here without much of a reason.

Lady Arwen nodded her head and turned from me, I believe to go find her father. I sat Deirdre down on the bench and she stirred a little, but failed to awaken. Her slow breath and heart beat showed that she was still asleep.

It wasn't long until Arwen was back with Elrond. He looked at the girl who lay on the bench in sleep.

"Who is this girl exactly?" he asked.

"I know her name is Deirdre, she says that she is not from here. I knew not what to do with her, so I decided to bring her to you." I answered.

Lord Elrond nodded his head and moved toward Deirdre, picking her up from the bench that she had lain so peacefully on. Again she stirred a little, but didn't wake up.

"Thank you, Bainanu." He said, then turned and carried her to a guest room.

I nodded and turned to go and rest myself.

Deirdre's POV~

I began to regain consciousness in a warm, soft bed. I opened my eyes, thinking that I had had the strangest dream and was now lying back in my bed at home. But when I looked around me there was nothing familiar. This was really starting to bother me, waking up in places that I didn't recognize. Fortunately, this time I was in a comfortable bed, with a bunch of fluffy pillows and warm sheets. Although I was still wearing the same pajamas that I had been stuck in since I woke up in Middle Earth, it wasn't that bad of a situation compared to yesterday. However, I was even more shocked when I looked up from my bed and it was just dawn. That was really confusing, I thought to myself.

I moved to the balcony and stepped outside into the cool morning air. Looking out over Rivendell and the trees surrounding it bathed in the light of the morning sun I could finally see why people woke up in the morning, it was truly breathtaking. I stood out on the balcony for several minutes, until the sun had fully risen and the whole world was bathed in its light. Then I turned away and headed back into the room I was staying in.

I stopped in the doorway from the balcony when I saw a male elf standing in the room. He had long, dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. To be honest, he reminded me a lot of the actor who played Elrond in the movies that I watched so many times.

"Are you Lord Elrond?" I asked him, my voice quiet with nervousness.

"That I am, Deirdre." He answered me, it didn't really shock me that he knew my name. I figured that Bainanu had told him. Considering that I had been sleeping in a lovely room in Rivendell, he must have told Lord Elrond that I was here.

"It's lovely to meet you," I said as I bowed my head a little, falling back onto the manners that my parents had taught me for when I had to be proper around adults.

"Bainanu, said that you were not from here. As I guess explains your lack of clothing." He said.

"Yes. In my home, this is considered rather appropriate, although these are in fact my sleeping garments." I said.

He nodded his head and continued to look over me, it made me feel slightly uncomfortable that I was being examined in such a way. But I knew it was more because he didn't trust me than anything scandalous.

"I will leave you to get dressed then, into more appropriate clothing. A bath has been drawn for you and there is a dress in the other room waiting for you. Leave your clothing out and it will be tended to." He said, gesturing to the room connected to this one. "When you are done, we will speak of what to do with you."

I nodded my head in acknowledgement and watched as he left the room. Once he had gone, I turned and went into the other room where there was a steaming bath tempting me. I quickly stripped off my clothing and sunk into the hot water. I sighed as it soothed my muscles and warmed to the core. Looking around just outside the bath I saw soap, shampoo, and a razor. I washed away all the stress of waking in strange places and soaked in the water until my hands and feet were all pruny. Then I climbed from the bath and pulled a towel around me that had been lain next to the bath. I quickly toweled off and wrapped the towel around my mass of dripping hair. Then I examined the clothing that had been laid out before me.

I groaned as I saw it was a corset and dress. I wasn't exactly the girliest person alive, and the skirts that I wore were never longer than my knees. I also wore the occasional corset so it wasn't that big of a deal, but I always had someone fastening me in. Somehow I managed to fit myself into the corset, but I was seriously having issues with fitting it tight about my waist. But once I had fastened it, thank god for the lacings being in front, it held my body to shape nicely. I slid on the undergarments left for me and began to pull on the dress. It fell around my body gracefully, accentuating my bust and slight waist made tiny by the corset, and flowed from my hips to the ground. It wasn't the most practical thing I had worn, but it would have to do. The bodice was a shiny pale blue and the skirt and sleeves were a darker midnight blue. I unwrapped my hair from the towel and brushed through it with a brush that was on the near vanity.

After leaving my hair down, as I saw no point in really styling it when I wasn't very good at that, I looked into the mirror that was before me. For the first time since I got here, I looked at my left ear. I had to check it with the other and saw that it was exactly matching the other in its point. It pretty much looked exactly how I had imagined it would once it had been changed to match. Needless to say, I was pretty happy that I hadn't needed to get surgery done to change my ear. Glancing at my face full on I saw that my eyes had changed to a blue today, this wasn't that odd for me, 'cause my eyes decided to change colors on fairly regularly.

I left the room once I had fully prepared, including slipping on a pair of light brown leather boots. Once out in the hallway I didn't have a clue where to go. So I just picked a direction and began walking. I soon reached a beautiful garden and decided I may as well just wait here and see if anyone found me. So I sat myself down among the beautiful flowers giving off an intoxicating scent. I just sat in the gardens with my eyes shut breathing in the aroma, until I was startled by a man with dark hair and a beard that made him look pretty shaggy. Again he reminded me of the actor who played Aragorn in the movies. Maybe Peter Jackson did a really good job casting them all. So far they had been pretty perfect.

"Hello there, are you here to take me to see Elrond, Aragorn?" I asked him.

His eyes widened as soon as I said his name, apparently I had guessed right. Score one for the fantasy obsessed. It was quite laughable that my mother had said that there was no purpose in watching the movies so much.

"Uh, yes I suppose I am." He stumbled out, confused. "How did you know my name?"

"I doubt you would believe me even if I told you." I said an amused look on my face.

He just nodded his head, maintaining the confused expression on his face, and gestured for me to follow him. We walked through several hallways passing quite a few elves on the way, before reaching a big wooden door. Aragorn knocked on the door of what I assumed to be Elrond's study. After a moment, the door swung open to reveal what I assumed was Gandalf.

"Hello, Gandalf. Might I come in?" I asked the older man.

"Yes, of course, my dear." He replied and made room for me to pass.

I entered into the study and stood before Elrond who sat behind a desk, while Gandalf moved to take one of the seats in front of the desk. Elrond motioned for me to take the remaining seat, so I sat down beside Gandalf.

"Deirdre, we are going to need to know everything that you know about Middle Earth." Elrond said, making me sigh.

This was going to be a long story, I thought. Did they really want to know everything, or simply whether or not I was working for the enemy.

"Well, first would you like me to tell you everything that I know? Cause it is quite a bit about the war of the One Ring. Or would you prefer me just to tell you the main details, and leave out the things about the future?" I asked them, confused about where to start.

"How do you know it's the future?" Elrond asked me.

"Gandalf, are you Gandalf the Grey?" I asked him, to which he nodded his head. "Then I know the future."

"Alright, I'm not sure how that proves anything, but please continue. Tell us what you know will come soon." Gandalf instructed.

"Well, given that Aragorn is here that means that Frodo Baggins and the other hobbits from the Shire have arrived recently. There will be a secret council taking place in a few days, during which the fate of the one ring will be decided. Or should I say the manner which the ring will be destroyed will be determined. Attending this council will be the elves of Mirkwood, dwarves, men from Gondor, as well as Frodo, the two of you, and Aragorn son of Arathorn." I said, then continued. "Would you like me to continue?"

"No, that won't be necessary." Elrond said, then pausing for a moment began again. "How are we to know that you are not a spy of the enemy?"

"Now that is a question which I do not have the answer to. I will have to count on you believing me, because honestly there isn't a way that I can think of to prove that I am not evil." I said, rising from my seat and pacing a little as I spoke. "Lady Galadriel would be able to tell, considering the whole mind speak thing as well has her mirror. However, I don't believe we have time for that prior to the fellowship heading out."

"What do you mean 'the fellowship'?" Elrond asked me, I noticed that Gandalf was silent during most of my interrogation, undoubtedly trying to figure out if I was evil or not.

"Sorry, I guess that I shouldn't have let that one slip. In order to destroy the ring of power, a fellowship will set out from Rivendell. In all the stories back home it was 9 travelers, and the fate of all the travelers is well known where I am from." I said, then thinking maybe I should explain more. "We have books about this particular story, for in my world that is what it is, and the books have been made into really popular movies that everyone can see."

They both nodded, confused by my explanation, but not really wanting to question me or not.

"Do you know how you got here?" Gandalf asked me.

"To Middle Earth or Rivendell? To Rivendell is simple, but to Middle Earth is a little more confusing." I said.

"To middle earth." Gandalf replied.

"I was watching the movies that were based on the story of this adventure when I fell asleep. I had a dream that I walked out of my house and to the nearby forest and passed out walking in the forest. Then I awoke here in the forest near Rivendell, where I was found by Bainanu." I explained, trying to make sense of it while I went.

"Do you think that you were summoned here?" Gandalf asked me, which earned him an expressions basically saying 'really?'.

"What exactly would be the point in summoning a 17 year old girl?" I asked.

"Maybe Sauron or Saruman wanted the information of what will happen in the future that you could provide." Gandalf volunteered.

I snorted at this, it wasn't ladylike, but who said I had to be a lady. I liked my uncouth self. This whole idea that my knowledge of what was to come would help the enemy was ridiculous, I mean if I helped them then maybe they would win. But why would I ever help them?

"If that is what they wanted then obviously they messed up. Considering that I am sitting in the study of Elrond of Imladris and not in Isengard or Mordor. I don't have the slightest inclination to help either of them. However, I would like to help you all." I said rather nonchalantly as though this held absolutely no meaning for me.

Apparently, this perked the interest of both Elrond and Gandalf, who both stared at me with a look that said for me to continue.

"To be honest, I know the outcome of this war. And not only do I like the current Middle Earth, because it is truly lovely, and want good to triumph over evil. But I really would prefer to stick with the winning side, so to speak." I told them.

"So how do you suggest you help us?" Elrond asked.

"I believe you may need some guidance, make things go a little more smoothly. Ensure that everything turns out alright." I said.

"And you want to provide this guidance? As an active member in this? Or less directly giving information?" Elrond asked me, it seemed he was actually considering this.

"I would be more than willing to provide this guidance. This world is too beautiful and pure to be destroyed and tainted with evil. And I would preferably not be seen as a manipulator, but simply giving little bits of advice along the way." I replied, maintaining my casual attitude.

I really did hate the idea of this world losing its beauty. I wanted to do anything I could to maintain it. However, there was a part of me that enjoyed discord and chaos. But I also wanted to go along on the quest of the fellowship, see the world here in all its beauty.

"You don't have to agree now, but I would like to go along with the fellowship. They will need some guidance before the end." I told them both, then pausing. "Have you decided that I am not a spy of the enemy then?"

"We will trust you to some extent. However, to ensure that you do know what will happen. Can you tell us who will make up the fellowship now?" Gandalf asked.

"Frodo Baggins will be the ring bearer, he will be accompanied by his friend Samwise Gamgee, as well as two more shirelings Pippin Took and Merry Brandybuck. Gandalf will be the one advising the group as to the route, while Aragorn, Legolas of the Woodland Realm, Gimli son of Gloin, and Boromir son of Denethor will aid in the protection of the fellowship. At least, that is the group that was written about in the story in my world." I informed them.

They both nodded. Then Gandalf rose from his seat, as did Elrond from behind the desk. Elrond was the next to speak.

"The council will be a few days after Frodo has awoken. You will be allowed to attend the council, seeing as you have such knowledge." He informed me.

"Am I free to go then? I had wished to see the rest of the gardens as well as possibly meeting some of the Halflings." I said, after nodding my head to Elrond.

"Of course, there will be a bell signaling when the afternoon meal will commence. Feel free to look about the gardens." Elrond replied.

With that I nodded my head and turned, walking out of the study into the bright outside. I managed to find my way back to some of the gardens and began walking about, breathing in the scents of some of the flowers that grew there. The elves did know how to maintain beautiful gardens.

After sitting down under the shade of some of the wild rose bushes, I shut my eyes and just allowed my body to relax as lying under the bush enjoying the atmosphere. I stayed in this peaceful manner for a time, until I felt the eyes of someone on me. So I opened my eyes and looked over to where I felt the eyes upon me. Standing there were two hobbits. I was reminded of Pippin and Merry, so I figured that's who they were.

"Hey, do you want something?" I asked them a little exasperated from the disruption.

"We were just wondering who you were." One of them asked a little nervous, I didn't think I was that scary.

"I'm Deirdre." I told them, I decided that I may as well be somewhat polite. "So who are you two?"

"I'm Merry, and this is Pippin." Merry said his hair the slightest bit blonder than his friend.

"It's nice to meet the two of you." I said to them, shutting my eyes again, regaining my relaxed state. "Are you two cousins or something?"

"We actually are cousins." Pippin said, with a smile on his face.

"Have you been to Rivendell before?" I asked them, knowing that they hadn't. But hey, it's hard to make conversation when you know a lot about the other person but they know nothing about you.

"No, before now we hadn't been out of the Shire." Merry said.

It was kind of hard to tell the difference between the two of them, especially with my eyes closed. But their voices held just enough distinction that it was manageable.

"What is the Shire like?" I asked them.

I sat back and listened as they talked about their home and all the pranks that they had pulled over the years. During their stories the bell sounded signaling it was time for lunch. At this both hobbits stopped talking, and quickly stood up, excited for food. I chuckled a little and rose alongside them. We walked to the dining area together, it was a grand hall and I stayed near the hobbits. We met up with Sam, while in the dining hall.

"Hey, I'm Deirdre." I said to him.

"I'm Samwise. It's nice to meet you." Sam replied.

I ended up sitting with the hobbits during the meal. I mostly ate the fruit that they had, because I really loved fruit, however I was kind of missing steak. But considering that this was the first meal that I had had in over a day, I ate with abandon only being outdone by the hobbits.

"You sure eat a lot Deirdre." Pippin said, without really thinking.

"You're one to talk." I said laughing, while the other hobbits gave him dirty looks with the message 'you shouldn't have said that'. "To be honest, I didn't eat at all yesterday or earlier today. So I was very hungry, I don't usually eat much."

They all nodded their heads, understanding how I could be so hungry. It was odd how I hadn't noticed until now that I was hungry. It happened from time to time for me, some days I would simply forget to eat. When I finally remembered that I should be hungry I had normally missed at least two meals.

"So, Deirdre, are you an elf?" Merry asked me.

I was dumbstruck at this question, did they truly think that I was an elf. Before I could stop it, I was cracking up at the table. No one else seemed to get the joke. When I managed to calm down a little I stared at Merry.

"I'm sorry, were you serious?" I asked him.

"Wait, you mean to say you aren't?" Sam asked confused.

"But you have pointed ears." Merry said.

"I am most definitely not an elf, though that is a good joke." I said still laughing slightly.

"If you're not an elf, then why do you look like one?" Merry asked me.

"I haven't quite figured that out yet. But I am far too clumsy to be an elf." I said with a smile.

"Oh," was said by the hobbits as a group, which just made me smile more.

The meal ended rather quickly after that, I listened to the hobbits talking. Merry and Pippin were always so bright and cheerful. I'm glad that they could be, life would become rather harsh for them in the coming time.

"Do you want to come with us to go check on our friend?" Merry asked me.

I couldn't help but smile at him, it was becoming infectious being around the hobbits, having to smile all the time because I couldn't hold it in.

"I would love to." I replied, walking alongside the hobbits as we went to Frodo's room.

When we entered the room, I looked at the bed and saw the unconscious Frodo. The wound from the Nazgul blade had knocked him out. His body needed to focus solely on healing, so he wouldn't wake.

"How long has he been asleep?" I asked them, somewhat worried about him.

I knew it wasn't healthy to be unconscious for too long, the only reason that it was possible for my world was machines ensuring all the functions of the body continued.

"Since before we arrived about a week ago. He was injured pretty badly." Pippin said his cheer dropping as he worried about his friend.

"I'm sure that he will awaken soon." I replied, knowing that Frodo would survive.

"I hope that you are right." Sam said, he was the most melancholy of the group ever serious and seeing his best friend like this surely wasn't helping.

I walked over to the side of the bed and bent down pressing my lips against Frodo's forehead. It was meant to check his temperature, but also as a comfort to the sleeping hobbit who reminded me of a small child. He was still running a fever, I could tell. But it was sure to break soon, the light layer of moisture on his skin showed that.

"His fever is already breaking, it shouldn't be too long now." I said, as I smoothed Frodo's hair.

There was just something about his child like appearance that drew me to the sleeping hobbit. I mean don't get me wrong, I love children. But I wasn't normally this caring about someone who I had only just seen unconscious.

The hobbits stared at me dumbstruck. Apparently, I wasn't acting like most people here. But then again, can you really blame me?

"I think I'm going to go for a walk around the gardens." I said, somewhat uncomfortable by the way that the others were looking at me.

Without waiting for them to say or do anything I turned and left the room, choosing the solitude of the gardens over the awkward stares that I was getting for my actions. The corridors of Imladris were rather vacant, as I walked to the gardens outside. I sat down beneath a tree which cast a shadow across the ground. I relaxed under the trees, shutting my eyes and thinking about what would happen whilst I was here. And how much I missed my friends and worried about what they thought happened to me.

*****Saffron's POV*****

It had been only a day, since the body of my best friend was found in the park near her house. The paramedics and doctors gave no reason for why she was dead, simply that she was. I had heard that her body had been taken to the coroners, to have an autopsy done, anything to figure out how she died. The police had opened an investigation, cautioning off the area that she had been found in. A wake had been planned, as per Deirdre's request. Even though the old practice was completely useless, she had made me promise that when she died that we would have a massive party to remember her. Where no one would cry and instead would live their lives. It was to take place tomorrow night, but before then I needed some form of closure. So I made my decision. Once it was dark, I was going to go to where they found her. Screw the police, I wanted to see it for myself.

As the day passed, I readied myself for the walk over to the park. It was a good mile or so from my house, but I made the walk quite often. By nightfall, I was dressed in my usual black clothing, but without any ornamentation. My normal sparkly purple eyeliner had been abandoned, as I was back to my plain black. My blonde hair hung down into my face, covering one of my eyes. I knew that my mom wouldn't be checking on me tonight. So I quickly pulled the screen off of my window and crawled out. Luckily I was on the first floor, so I didn't have to worry about falling out the window.

The walk to the park was slow, but the air remained warm from the summer sun. It would be a while before it dissipated entirely. No one stopped me or bothered me in any way as I walked the streets. I hardly saw anyone on my walk. It was so dark by the time that I reached the park. I navigated my way down the paths and followed the tire impressions in the ground. I knew where they had found her body, as soon as I heard that she was dead and found in the park I raced over. So I followed the path that I had taken yesterday morning. I stayed in the shadow of the trees as soon as I came within sight of the crime scene tape. Hesitantly, I looked around the area for any police monitoring the scene or anything of the sort. I saw no one.

Mustering my courage, I ducked under the crime scene tape. In the middle of the area stood a single marker, showing where her body had lain. I approached the marker, staring at the impression in the ground. I stopped just before I reached the exact spot. Surrounding the impression in the dirt, was a circle of mushrooms. My eyes widened a little in fear, had she been murdered by a fairy ring? I knew that Deirdre believed in the Fae and the Celtic legends. She loved fantasy, we even played a role playing game where we were twins in the world of the fae. But it wasn't as real to me, I believed to some extent but wasn't as enthralled. Deirdre had always been a little out there, she made everyone think that she actually believed in the robot uprising and how they would kill everyone and trigger the zombie apocalypse.

Without hesitation, I stepped into the fairy ring. Looking down at the ground around me, this was probably the last place that she had stood before she died. Suddenly, my vision started to lose focus. The earth felt like it was rotating without me and suddenly before my eyes burned a bright light. Then nothing as I faded into unconsciousness.

**End Chapter 2**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I own nothing.

Chapter 3

**Bainanu's POV**

I was on patrol once more, after finding Deirdre and bringing her back to Rivendell two days ago. It was time for my patrol to once again resume, since I had had yesterday off as was my usual schedule. But once again as dawn was breaking, I was riding along the borders of Rivendell, to ensure that no one was trying to attack. Border patrol was usually a very boring task, spending everyday patrolling the same area with little to no changes. But the interruption of finding Deirdre had been interesting enough. I was happy to settle back into the normal boring rhythm of patrol.

However, I don't think fate agrees with my plan, I thought to myself. When I saw the body of a young woman on the ground, near where I had found Deirdre. To be honest, I didn't know what the odds were. I was seriously going to have to think about asking for a different patrol if every time I was on patrol I found a strange woman. I neared the form of the woman and stopped my horse.

After quickly dismounting I drew my bow and readied an arrow, then nudged the form of the woman with long blonde hair. She stirred once I made contact and once her eyes were open and looking upon me she jumped and moved back.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

"My name is Saffron. Who are you?" she asked, confusion in her voice.

"I am Bainanu. Do you know where you are?" I asked her, finding her here reminded me so much of how I found Deirdre.

"Um, no actually. Where am I?" she asked me.

"You are within the realm of Rivendell." I said, lowering my bow. "Come with me."

Once my bow was down the girl stopped moving away from me. After a moment of hesitation she moved forward to meet me. I lifted her onto my horse and mounted behind her.

"Am I in Middle Earth?" she asked me.

"Yes, but Lord Elrond will explain more when we reach Imladris." I told her.

She fell silent after that, I rode with speed. Wanting to reach Imladris rather quickly and get back out on my patrol. I was really missing the normality of it. Looking down at the girl I couldn't help but to think of the differences between her and Deirdre. She had more clothing, obviously. But her hair was much fairer and her eyes were a bright blue, though they strangely reminded me a lot of Deirdre's. She had a similar figure, very curvy but it wasn't as shocking on her. She was definitely human, there was no doubt like there was with Deirdre.

Since I was riding with more haste this time, I reached Imladris much sooner. I also didn't have to worry about the girl before me falling from the horse as when Deirdre had fallen asleep.

"Are you alright?" I asked her, worrying that she had been quiet so long.

"I'm fine, simply thinking." She replied.

"Alright then." I stated then fell silent again.

Once we reached Imladris, I was overwhelmed with a sense of déjà vu. I was met by a stable hand like before, but this time I dismounted then aided Saffron in her descent. Once down, I handed the reins to the stable hand. He took my horse and I led Saffron down the corridors of the House of Elrond and then stopped at the door to Elrond's study. I knocked on the door and was ordered to come in. I opened the door and ushered Saffron through the door.

Elrond looked up and saw me standing with a girl in strange dress. I swear he almost rolled his eyes at me finding another random girl on patrol.

"Another one?" he questioned.

"Yes, my lord. Her name is Saffron." I informed him, bowing my head a little.

"Thank you, Bainanu. You may go now." He ordered.

I nodded my head and walked out of the study, leaving Saffron behind with Lord Elrond. I breathed a sigh of relief at ensuring that Lord Elrond would take care of her. Then looked out over the horizon at the sunset, once again my patrol had been ended by taking a strange girl found of the borders of Rivendell back to the heart of Imladris.

***Deirdre's POV***

I opened my eyes and let out a contented sigh. For the second day in a row I had awoken in Rivendell. Only this time I knew exactly where I was. I stretched out my body in the bed, luxuriating in the feel of the soft bed beneath me. Then laid back comfortably on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. After a few moments of just letting my body readjust to being awake, I rose from the bed and went to stand out on the balcony. I looked out over the horizon, the sun was well above but hadn't quite reached the point of midday yet. So I was doing rather well on waking up. I breathed in the fresh air and stayed on the balcony for a few minutes.

After a few moments, I walked back into my allotted room and headed into the bathroom. Seeing the tub filled with steaming hot water made me want to kiss whoever was responsible. I stripped off the flowing gown that I had worn to sleep in, and lowered myself down into the hot water. I relaxed entirely once I was completely submerged. I ducked my head under the water and scrubbed at my skin. The soaps were again set out for me and I scrubbed my entire body down once more until my skin was as clean as possible and lightly fragranced with the scent of the soap. I made ample use of the razor that had once again been left out for me. Once I felt I had manicured my body to perfection, or close enough, and the water had grown cold I rose from the water. The water dripped from my body and pattered against the stone floor. I grabbed the towel that again was laid out for me and dried my body. Once again I found myself fastening into a corset. I have to say, I was getting much better at fastening myself in. I slipped on a green dress today it flowed beautifully from my waist while remaining tight at the bodice, while the sleeves opened themselves at my elbows and freely flowed down. Overall, the dress was beautiful and I thought that it was truly lovely, though I worried that the elves of Rivendell would soon run out of dresses that would fit me. Once dressed once more, I found the brush that lay on the vanity and smoothed my hair.

Once readied for the day, I strode out of my room. I was planning on visiting the gardens once more, when a thought occurred to me. Since I had time here, I may as well learn more about the history of Middle Earth, after all Tolkien could only write so much. So instead of walking back out to the familiar gardens I headed to Elrond's study. Once I reached the door I stopped and knocked.

"Come in," I heard Elrond say from behind the closed door.

I pushed the door open and peered inside, sitting behind the desk was Elrond. I smiled as I walked into the study and stopped before the desk.

"Lord Elrond, I was wondering if there was a library of some kind. So that I may learn more of the history of Middle Earth." I said politely.

"There is no real library, but I would welcome you to read some of my books. Did you have anything in mind?" he asked me.

"Not really, do you have any stories of adventures?" I asked him.

"Yes, well of battles." He said, as he rose from his place behind the desk and grabbed a rather large book from the shelves lining the sides of his study.

After handing me the book, Elrond moved back to his place behind the desk.

"Thank you, Lord Elrond. I was wondering has Frodo woken yet?" I asked him.

"Not just yet, why do you ask?" he inquired.

"I thought that he would have awoken by now, no matter it should be soon." I said. "Thank you for the book."

And with that I turned and left. I walked with the book in my hands and down the corridor to find Frodo's room. I was so sure that he would have woken up by now, maybe he was going to be waking up soon. When I reached his room, after getting lost a few times, I pushed open the door and sitting in a chair facing the bed was Gandalf.

'Well, that was a good sign' I thought to myself. After all, when Frodo woke up in the movies Gandalf was sitting there waiting for him to rise.

"Good day, Gandalf. Any changes?" I asked him.

"His fever has broken but he has yet to wake." He replied in his sad voice, obviously upset that his young friend had yet to wake.

"Don't worry, Gandalf. He will wake, without a doubt. I expect it should be rather soon." I told him.

He smiled a little when I said that, but the smile wasn't really there. He was too upset about Frodo being injured to truly be happy. So I moved from the doorway and found another chair and set it up so that I could wait until Frodo woke.

Once I was sitting down, I opened the book that Elrond had given me. I had only gotten through the first paragraph when I heard a sleepy voice ask.

"Where am I?" looking up from my book I saw that it was Frodo, having just awoken.

"You are in the House of Elrond. And it is 10 o'clock in the morning on October 24th if you want to know." Gandalf told him, his tone having become much happier at seeing Frodo awake.

I smiled at this, and shut my book. Holding it in my lap as I watched Frodo open his eyes even more at realizing who was talking.

"Gandalf!" Frodo nearly shouted.

"Yes… I'm here. And you're lucky to be here too. A few more hours and you would have been beyond our aid. But you have some strength left in you, my dear hobbit." Gandalf told him, his worry returning to his voice.

"What happened, Gandalf? Why didn't you meet us?" Frodo asked, confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Frodo. I was…delayed." Gandalf told him, pausing and falling silent no longer focusing on us.

"Well, it doesn't matter. You are both here now and both safe." I said brightly.

At this point Frodo looked over at me, I could see confusion marching onto his face. I smiled warmly at him.

"Who are you?" Frodo asks me.

"My name is Deirdre. I am glad to see that you are awake, your friends were awfully worried about you." I told him.

Frodo nodded his head in understanding, he also looked down probably a little embarrassed that he had caused so much worry. Just then, Sam walked into the room and all but jumped on Frodo, he was so excited to see him awake.

"Frodo, Frodo." Sam yelled, cheerfully.

"Sam!" Frodo returned, hugging his friend.

"Sam, has hardly left your side." Gandalf informed him.

"We were that worried about you, weren't we Mr. Gandalf?" Sam said, then wanting reassurance from Gandalf asked him.

"By the skills of Lord Elrond, you're beginning to mend." Gandalf informed Frodo.

"Welcome to Rivendell, Frodo Baggins." Elrond said, as he entered the room.

I smiled and rose from my seat, then looked over at Sam and Frodo.

"I'll go tell Pippin and Merry that you are awake." I said, then walking over to the door I looked at Elrond. "I told you he would be awake soon."

"So you did." Elrond said.

I walked out of the room and began searching for Pippin and Merry. Luckily for me I found them rather quickly. They were sitting in the garden laughing. I approached them as quietly as possible, which was rather quiet until I tripped on a bump in the path. I stumbled forward and Pippin and Merry looked up and laughed when they saw me tripping.

"You didn't see anything." I said blushing.

"Oh, you mean we didn't see anything but you proving that you definitely aren't an elf." Pippin responded.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I am the epitome of grace." I said with an airy tone that made it clear I wasn't serious.

"Of course you are." Merry chimed in sarcastically.

"Well, if you are going to just make fun of me. Then maybe I won't tell you the reason why I hunted you two down." I told them in a joking manner.

"Oh, there was a reason? You mean other than simply wanting to spend time with such handsome folk as us." Pippin said.

"Yes, there was. Frodo woke up."

Both Merry and Pippin jumped up with giant smiles on their faces, then for some reason both of them rushed to give me a hug. I guess because I was the one who told them the good news.

"Go along, I'm sure that he will be more than glad to see you." I told them, pushing them slightly in the direction of Frodo's room.

Both took off running to go see Frodo. I smiled as they left, then moved to go sit under my favorite tree and settled with my book. I sat there under the shade of the tree until the bell sounded for lunch. I had to admit, I was a little hungry but I was reluctant to go. I was truly enjoying the book that Elrond had lent to me. I was already over half-way through already, loving the book so much. Not only was it a history but it contained a lot of battles in it. The book was really good. But my stomach growled a little and so I rose from my place beneath the tree and wandered to the dining hall.

Once I was inside I found the hobbits rather easily. I smiled and walked over and sat down with them. Joining the four hobbits that I knew was Bilbo, Frodo's uncle, who was very old. I took a seat at the end of the table next to Pippin and Merry.

"Frodo, it's nice to see you well." I said, as way of making conversation.

I was starting to get the feeling that I could never be myself here, that I would always have to be on my best behavior, especially if I wanted not to be stopped by Gandalf and Elrond for my crude nature.

"Thank you." Frodo murmured, a slight blush on his face.

"So do you boys have anything planned for today?" I asked the hobbits.

"We were really just think about exploring, do you want to come with?" Pippin asked me.

"Actually Pippin, I am in the middle of a really good book. How about I join you all another time? Besides wouldn't you like to spend more time with Frodo since he is awake now." I responded.

"Alright, but definitely count on coming another time." Merry said.

"Without a doubt." I told them.

We finished lunch rather quickly and I took my leave of the hobbits, who were setting off to go explore some of the waterfalls nearby. I smiled and waved as they headed out, while Frodo stayed behind with his uncle.

"Find some good places. That way you can show me them later." I said as I waved to the hobbits.

Once saying my goodbye, I strode back to the garden and settled down beneath, what I was starting to refer to as, my tree. I flipped the book back open and began reading voraciously once more. I stayed in the garden with my book as the sun lowered down on the horizon and the day passed. I decided to skip the evening meal, as I wanted to finish my book and would talk to the hobbits in the morning. So I remained under my tree until it was almost too dark out to read. But by then I had finished the book.

So I rose from my seat and stretched out my sore legs, stretching them out from sitting so long. I moved from the garden and made my way to Elrond's study. I knocked on the door and waited for the usual 'Come in.'

It only took a second but Elrond's voice could be heard telling me to enter the study. I walked through the door looking at the book in my hands.

"I finished the book. Thank you so much. It was really good." I said, extending my hand with the book out to Elrond.

But just as I reached out, I saw someone that made me stop. There was a girl sitting in one of the chairs of Elrond's study. She had long blonde hair that fell to her lower back and was dressed in black clothing. There was something incredibly familiar about the girl. But when she turned around to look who had entered the office, our eyes met. I lost my breath for a second.

"Saffy?" my voice came out as a question, confused as to what was going on.

**End Chapter 3**

There's Chapter 3 for ya. Read and Review please ;D


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: As always, I own nothing.

***Chapter 4***

*Deirdre's POV*

"Di?" Saffron questioned, less shock in her voice.

"Saffy!" I screamed as I literally tackled her in the chair, my arms flinging around her. "Oh, Saffy! What are you doing here?"

"I think following you, I went to where they found your body and somehow woke up in the forest near here." She replied.

"Yeah, pretty much the same thing happened to me. Wait. Did you say found my body?" I asked, it just then sank into me that she may mean I was dead.

"They found you dead on the forest floor, inside a fairy-ring. I wanted to see where they found you so I snuck into the crime scene and stood in the same ring." She replied.

"Does that mean that you are dead too?" I asked, somewhat confused.

"Oh, yeah. I guess it does." She replied, her tone taking on a hint of sadness.

"Well, at least we are here together." I suggested, just then noticing that we had been leaving Elrond out of this entire conversation.

"I take it you two are familiar with one another?" Elrond asked somewhat rhetorically, as I took a seat on Saffy's lap.

I wrapped my arms around her neck and she automatically put her arms around my waist. It was a position that we took every time there wasn't a chair available for both of us, now taking the same position was more for comfort. Saffy was my best friend and I had missed her in the short time that I had been here. But having her here was great, even though she brought me the news that everyone thought that we were dead.

"Yeah, Saffy here is my best friend in the world." I told him, then paused for a second. "Elrond, can Saffy come with the fellowship along with me? She can help too."

"That should be possible, though you will both need some training before the fellowship leaves." Elrond replied.

"Not a problem, I've always wanted to learn how to sword fight. Though Saffy here is a little less…"I paused trying to find the right word for it.

"Angry? Or were you going to say violent?" She filled in, picking up on the teasing exactly where she left off.

"I'm not violent." I said, as I smacked her arm jokingly. "I just happen to like fighting."

"You are definitely not violent, considering to emphasize your point you hit me." Saffy said.

"Whatever. So did you enjoy my wake? You better have gotten drunk, missy. I left you specific instructions as to how I wanted my wake." I questioned her.

"I actually missed it. Sorry." She said.

"Saffy!" I yelled in mock anger. "How could you? I died and you just had something more important than a party to celebrate the life of your best friend?" I began fake crying at the end of my tirade.

"Yeah, I did. It's hanging out with said friend right now. If the time flow is right, your wake would be right now." She replied.

"Oh, well. Damn. We must be missing out on one hell of a party." I replied, ending my charade of emotions. "Anyway, before I got distracted, Elrond. I was going to return your book to you. It was really good. Thank you for lending it to me."

"It was no trouble at all. The council will be in two days time. Both of you will be attending the council, hopefully no one will question your purpose there. But should it come down to needing to tell anyone your purpose, say that you are friends of Gandalf." Elrond informed us.

"Elrond, could Saffy stay in my room with me tonight?" I asked him.

"I suppose if you would be more comfortable with that." He replied.

"At least for tonight that is." Saffron responded, she didn't sleep the best with other people around, but I thought that the strange environment wouldn't be helping too much either.

"Thanks, Elrond." I said, rising from my place on Saffy's lap and practically dragging her out the door. "See you tomorrow."  
Saffy just went along with me dragging her through the halls and back to my room. When we arrived I led her over to the bed, shutting the door behind us. A great big smile was spread over my face.

"I can't believe that you are here. It was going to be so lonely here all by myself." I admitted, my energy bubbling over.

"Well, no worries. You aren't going to be alone, not with me here." She replied, making me smile.

"Is it just me or do you want a Coke right now?" I asked her, almost randomly.

"And chips and salsa." She added on.

It had become a tradition of sorts, we would go over to my house together at least once a week and hang out in my room drinking Coke and eating chips and salsa.

"Definitely, though I doubt we will be able to find either here." I said, almost sad at the thought. But my mood shifted almost immediately. "I can't wait for the council."

"Oh?" She questioned though I knew she understood what I was talking about.

"Oh, like you can't wait to meet the fellowship either." I said teasing her.

"Alright, yeah. I do want to meet the fellowship. Can you blame me?" She responded.

"No actually, the ones I have met are very nice." I said, in a manner that almost made it seem like it wasn't important that I had mentioned that I'd met part of the fellowship.

"Oh, who have you met so far?" She asked.

"The hobbits, Gandalf, and rather briefly Aragorn. All seemed really nice though." I informed her.

"Well, start talking. You still haven't told me what I had missed while you were here." She stated impatiently.

"Well…" I began.

We spent the next few hours talking about everything that the other had missed. We figured out that we had both been found in the forest by the same elf, Bainanu. Which she said explained the way he acted when he found her as well as how Elrond was acting. Our talking didn't stop until it was well into the night. Finally, we both curled up under the covers and fell asleep.

*******End Chapter 4*********

Read and Review please ;D


	5. Chapter 5

This is the first language with the beginnings of cursing. So here is the first warning. It starts out soft now, but will eventually graduate to more offensive curse words.

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 5 ***

***Deirdre's POV***

My days in Rivendell with Saffy by my side were a lot of fun. We met up with the hobbits the day after she arrived and she got along pretty well with the hobbits. We got kidnapped by the hobbits and taken exploring, finding beautiful waterfalls. Frodo for the most part stayed behind, still recovering entirely from his injury, which generally meant that Sam would stay behind to keep him company. But that didn't hold Pippin and Merry back at all. We picnicked and explored the nearest waterfall, going swimming in the pool at the bottom.

People for the council began showing up, luckily due to the explorations, we managed to avoid most of the arrivals. But the morning of the council had arrived. I awoke to once again having Saffy on the other side of the bed. It was comforting to have that small piece of home still with me in Middle Earth. I hoped that I was helping Saffy cope with being dead to our friends and families in the same way. I climbed from the bed and stretched out, trying to be quiet so as to not wake her up.

"I was wondering when you would be waking up." Saffy said.

"Why are you always the first one up?" I questioned her.

"Because generally I don't feel the need to sleep until noon." She teased me.

"Well, fine then. I call first bath of the day." I told her as I ran into the bathroom to find the usual hot bath, the maids had been informed that we were both staying in the one room and so they made sure to draw up a second bath once they knew that the first had been used.

Once I had finished with my bath, I left the bathroom having left my corset undone. It was too much work today, I decided.

"Saffy?" I asked. "Will you lace my corset today?"

"How would you survive without me?" she questioned.

"I would have to be less lazy." I replied, as she moved around to my back and laced me in.

We had effectively used up the few front lacing dresses yesterday, since apparently most dresses were fashioned to need someone's help to put on. Either that or the women here were really far more talented than I was, which was highly likely. Just as she was finishing up, a knock on the door sounded.

"Come in." I called, I was almost entirely dressed and figured since I was in the less proper dress it would be alright if I declared they could come in.

In walked Celebiel one of the elven maids, who noticing how I was already dressing, must have figured out that we would need a second bath drawn up. She walked into the bathroom and began clearing up. I had felt so bad about having someone wait on me, but Celebiel had insisted that it was no bother. And that we were being more than helpful when we remade the bed and left our clothing in a careful pile on a chair. Also since both Saffron and I stayed in one room it cut down on work. This only made me feel slightly better though.

"Hey Celebiel. How are you today?" I asked her, as Saffy finished lacing up my dress.

"I am well, as usual. And how are you two ladies today?" she asked.

I was grateful that she had stopped calling us by Lady Deirdre and Lady Saffron. We weren't ladies and it was really awkward having someone speak to you like you were above them socially somehow. Especially since we weren't really.

"Do you have any good gossip to fill us in on?" I enquired, as we had managed to get her into acting a little immature with us. After all, we really were teenage girls, gossip was something we liked on occasion.

"Only that two young ladies are expected at a council today, and happen to be the only women attending." She replied, eyeing us suspiciously.

"How come we are the only women going to be there? More women should be allowed into matters such as this. I mean honestly, it's not as though men are the only ones affected by war." I started rambling about.

"Chill, Didi. Male dominated society, remember." She informed me.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, grumbling about patriarchal societies and how that something I missed at home was at least some semblance of gender equality. This however, caused both Celebiel and Saffy to start laughing at me. I sat down and pouted at the vanity, brushing out my hair and avoiding eye contact with either of them.

I continued my pouting, not really meaning it until Saffy disappeared into the bathroom and Celebiel moved behind me.

"Careful, if you keep your face like that it may very well freeze that way." She told me, taking the brush from my hands and running it through my hair.

"You sound like my mom." I informed her, as I smiled gently at her removing the pout from my face.

"Thank you, now how would you like me to do your hair?" she asked me, yesterday she had found out how truly terrible I was at fixing my own hair and had managed to sit me down so she could style it herself.

"Can you do twin braids running along the side of my head?" I pulled my hair into my fingers to demonstrate how I wanted the braids to run along the side of my head. Hopefully when it was done it would look like the elven warrior braids that my favorite elf in the stories always wore.

"I can manage that. That particular style is actually generally referred to among elves as warrior braids." She informed me.

"I know." I said with a smile on my face.

"Oh, do you now? Then why do you plan on wearing your hair in a warriors fashion when you may well be met by Elvish warriors today?" she asked.

"I want to make it clear that I am a warrior too. This seems like one of the best ways to do that. Plus they look pretty. Oh, could you make them join together in the back and run down my back side by side?" I said, adding in my own touch to make them more feminine.

She rolled her eyes and began plaiting my hair in the manner that we discussed. While I didn't have the normal hair color of an elf, this would definitely cause even more confusion. My brown hair with blonde streaks running through was definitely abnormal for an elf. At least from what I could tell with the movies elves either had really dark hair like Elrond and Arwen or fair blonde hair like most of the woodland realms.

It only took her a short amount of time to fix my hair, even when I occasionally made screwy faces in the mirror whenever she pulled on my hair a little harsher. My mom's voice saying 'Blood makes the best hairspray' ran through my head. But my face still occasionally made funny expressions when it hurt. During one of the more painful ones, Saffy walked into the room and started cracking up.

"Your expression is so amazing, Di." She said as she laughed.

"Glad you are enjoying my pain." I teased her.

She rolled her eyes at me and began dressing. Celebiel managed to entirely finish my hair and moved over to lace up Saffy's dress. She made quick work of the laces and as I rose from the vanity, she had Saffy sitting down in my spot. I moved over to the bed and took a seat, watching Celebiel fix Saffy's hair. She didn't make anywhere near as funny of faces as I did. Saffy never really liked having her hair up, so I wasn't really surprised when Celebiel only brushed it out and left it flowing down her back freely.

"You two need to hurry along to breakfast soon. Otherwise there won't be any food left for you and your stomachs will be growling all through the council." She informed us, as much as Celebiel liked to joke around with us she took on a mature role a lot of the time. Acting as a surrogate mother, or as close as an elf about our relative ages could when it came to us.

"I thought the grumbling of our stomachs would incite fear into the enemy." I said, sounding absolutely ridiculous.

"Only fear that you are going to eat them." Celebiel teased back. "But go on, you need to get going."

We headed to the door after she practically shoved us out.

"See you later, Celebiel." We both said, then headed out the door and toward the dining hall.

"Do you ever think that she is actually planning ways to mess with us when she shoves us out the door like that?" I asked Saffy.

"No," she said, looking at me as though I had two heads.

"Yeah, me either." I replied completely serious.

Causing the both of us to start laughing as we made our way into the dining hall, which in turn made everyone look at us as we entered with great big smiles on our faces and the remnants of laughter about us. The visitors to Rivendell stared at us as we made our way over to the hobbits, who had mass amounts of food piled onto their plates. We both took seats and put small amounts of food on our plates.

"Now that just isn't healthy." Pippin said, watching as both Saffy and I ate our small meal.

"Eating that little is downright strange." Merry added.

"I'm sorry we don't eat like our entire bodies are hollow and have to be filled with food." I replied laughingly.

"That's right, cause you don't eat." Pippin replied.

"I do so." I replied, picking up a piece of fruit and pointedly putting it in my mouth and chewing over-exaggeratedly.

"Right, cause that counts as eating." Merry replied teasing me for not eating much.

"I put food in my mouth and ingested it. That is almost exactly the definition of eating." I replied.

"Fine, you don't eat like a normal person." Pippin chipped in.

"Your definition of normal is a hobbit, no one eats like a normal person to you guys." I replied, while Saffy sat next to me just eating her breakfast silently.

Our teasing continued back and forth between the hobbits and myself, occasionally Saffy would join in. But normally when she did it was to help the hobbits pick on me. When I had finished my food, I noticed that Elrond was motioning for us to follow him, taking a quick cursory glance over the dining hall I noticed that a good deal of the people who were going to be attending the council had already left.

"Come on, Saffy." I told her, motioning for her to get up and follow me. "See you two later."

"What's up, Di?" Saffy asked, confused as to why I was dragging her away from the table and our friends.

"Elrond motioned for us to join him. I think he wants to talk to us before the council." I whispered the last part into Saffy's ear.

She nodded and we both moved to meet up with Elrond. He was only waiting around the corner and began leading us to where the council would be held.

"Since you are going to be attending the council, I have a request to make of the two of you. Would you try not to offend anyone?" Elrond requested of the two of us.

"Elrond, I am offended. Do you really think that I would just go about and insult everyone at the council? I have some restraint you know." I replied, faking some of the hurt.

"Yes, he does. You insult most people, it's how you show you care. At least, I hope it means that you care." Saffy put her two bits in.

"I can't believe either of you. I promise that I will try my best not to insult the people at the council." I promised, making sure that I used words that allowed me to slip up. I just had to _try_ not to insult people, so I had an opening should I choose to insult anyone.

"I won't insult people either." Saffy promised Elrond, to which he nodded his head.

"Hey, Elrond?" I asked, causing him to turn his head to me. "Can I have a blade for the council?"

Elrond stopped, shocked that I would ask for a knife at what should be a peaceful council. Personally, I was just thinking about making everything go a little smoother.

"Why do you need a blade?" he asked me, concern leaking into his voice.

"Oh, no worries. Nothing bad is going to happen, it would just kind of be useful if I'm going to save Gimli from breaking his axe." I replied, keeping my voice low enough that only Elrond and Saffy heard what I was talking about.

"You can have a short blade as long as you promise not to kill anyone with it." Elrond informed me.

"Alright, I promise that I won't cause anyone bodily harm." I promised Elrond, and I was actually telling him the truth.

"Fine, you can have a blade." He got an elf, who was walking around nearby, to find a blade that I could wield in a pinch.

It wasn't too ornate a blade, just something that could be used as a weapon if need be, but didn't hold the same intricate beauty of so many of the other elven blades in the world. I fastened the blade and belt about my waist and we all continued on to the council. As we got closer, my excitement rose. We were finally going to be doing something, more than just exploring waterfalls with the hobbits and hanging around Rivendell. And the secret council was just the beginning of what was going to happen.

Saffy and I sat down on the edge of the circle, there was a slight gap near Elrond's seat and so I took the seat on the opposite side of the gap as Elrond and Saffy sat down on my other side. There were many questioning glances our way, curious as to why women were included in the council that would determine the fate of the world. But I shrugged them off, settling into my seat comfortably and waiting for the council to start.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate- this one doom. Bring forth the ring, Frodo." Elrond spoke to the entire council, then motioned Frodo to place the ring on the pedestal in the center of the circle.

Frodo rose from his seat and walked to the pedestal in the center of the ring and placed the simple gold band on the stone. The sight of the ring made my skin crawl and bile rose in my throat. But at that same moment, I couldn't help the wave of desire which claimed me. I knew that it was only the ring's influence trying to sway the people in the council to stealing it away, so that it could achieve its own evil purposes. My mind went to Gollum and his lust after the ring and how his life was centered around a piece of jewelry that would be destroyed. Then my thoughts jumped to the man sitting on the other side of the circle, Boromir, what he would try to steal the ring away from Frodo and the karmic reaction that would claim his life. With these thoughts permeating my head, I could feel the desire lessen until there was no conscious feeling of the lust for the ring as there once had been. I snuck a peek over at Saffy, her face held a mixture of disgust and desire, as I am sure mine had only moments before. She was facing the same inner turmoil that I had, finding how to squash the wave of desire that the ring caused. Looking around the council I saw the looks of the ring's presence making itself known.

"So it is true." I heard Boromir say, which only caused me to roll my eyes. I knew where he was going with this and honestly it was moronic.

"In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the west a pale light lingered. A voice was crying 'Your doom is near at hand'." Boromir walked closer to the ring. "Isildur's bane is found."

Boromir sounded almost reverent and adoring of the ring, which only made my stomach turn more. The lure of power and lies seeping out from the ring was sinking into Boromir, I guess men really were the most susceptible to the lure of the ring.

"Boromir." Elrond shouted, effectively snapping Boromir out of his haze where his eyes rested solely on the ring. He looked up startled at the interruption.

Gandalf rose from his seat and began stating the inscription on the ring in the black speech of Mordor. I winced a little as the air grew thicker and the sky visibly darkened. My eyes fluttered a little, feeling as though there was no air getting into my body. The edges of my vision grew dark, centering my vision until all I could see was Boromir looking abashed standing across the circle from Gandalf, the ring in between the two. When Gandalf stopped speaking he sunk back down into his chair and I took a deep breath. Able to breath once more as though what felt like a tight band around my chest had been removed.

"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris." Elrond practically growled at Gandalf.

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the black speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the west! The Ring is altogether evil!" Gandalf stated, his voice harsh as though stressed from uttering so dark of words just moments before.

Boromir's confidence returned, almost entirely ignoring the entire intrusion that Gandalf and Elrond made to halt him in what would soon become a tirade.

"It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him." Boromir all but yelled at the council.

"Did your nanny drop you on your head when you were a child?" I asked as I rose from my seat. "That has got to be one of the stupidest ideas that I have ever heard."

I heard a little chuckling as well as the tell-tale sound of Saffy face-palming, but could feel Elrond glaring at me. I felt a little guilty about insulting Boromir because I had Elrond I would try not to, but it's not like he didn't deserve it. Boromir of course was glaring daggers at me as well, but before he could start in on any insults, Aragorn interrupted bringing the attention back to the issue of the ring.

"You cannot wield it. None of us can." Aragorn told Boromir, but Boromir obviously was going to take it the wrong way.

"And what would a ranger know of this matter?" Boromir sneered at Aragorn, feeling defensive.

"This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." Legolas told Boromir as he rose from his seat, causing Aragorn to wince at the announcement of his identity.

"Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" Boromir scoffed.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas pronounced vehemently.

"Havo dad, Legolas." Aragorn told him quietly, clearly uncomfortable with where this conversation was going.

"Gondor has no king." Boromir sneered as he began walking back to his seat. "Gondor needs no king."

I rolled my eyes and returned to my seat. While Gandalf rose from his seat to speak his part.

"Aragorn is right. We cannot use it." Gandalf surmised for the council.

"You have only one choice, the ring must be destroyed." Elrond announced, I took this as my cue to carefully draw the blade from its sheath on my belt.

Gimli rose from his seat drawing his axe, I made sure that I was ready to block his blow to the ring so that I could save his precious axe.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gimli asked as he began raising his axe for what he thought would be a blow to destroy the ring.

As he began bringing his axe down I jumped up from my seat and halted the axe's path as best as I could, which was actually pretty hard considering how strong the dwarf was.

"Gimli, you don't want to be doing that." I informed him, voice a little rough from the strength that I was exerting preventing him from breaking his axe. "I would think that you cared for your axe more than to let it be destroyed."

His expression was harsh as he glared at me, but he brought the axe away from my blade and lowered it. Making me sigh in relief, I would explain why exactly I stopped him, but Elrond really explained it more than I could.

"The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." Elrond said, causing Gimli to return to his seat and I did the same sheathing my sword as I went.

"One of you must do this." Elrond said as he looked around the council for any volunteers, although he knew who would be the ringbearer since I had told him.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is an evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland. Riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breath is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly." Boromir said, his voice growing darker as he spoke of the horrors of Mordor.

"Sounds like a beautiful vacation spot don't you think? Boromir should write travel brochures." I jokingly said to Saffy, who after rolling her eyes laughed a little.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed." Legolas said indignantly as he rose from his seat.

I couldn't help but smile a little at hearing him say this. My mind jumped back to the collectibles from the first Lord of the Rings movies that I had gotten at Burger King. Where Legolas' voice says "The Ring must be destroyed." And I would keep hitting the button on it until it ran in a hilarious loop.

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli stood up glaring at Legolas.

"And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" Boromir spoke mournfully.

"I propose mass suicide." I snickered quietly, but some of the elves along with Saffy heard me.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!" Gimli shouted, drawing attention back from me and my silly comments.

Gimli's comment got almost all the elves on their feet and yelling, which really just resulted in everyone arguing. I almost wanted to get up just so that I could use this as an excuse to punch one of the people in the face, cause that would just be hilarious to me. But I refrained and sat in my seat, deciding that I needed a distraction from the fighting, I began making funny faces. First I directed the stupid expressions to Saffy who returned them, but then decided that we should both make funny faces that Frodo. So I turned to him and stuck my tongue out and crossed my eyes so that I looked entirely ridiculous. Frodo smiled at me, whether it was my facial expression or something that Saffy was doing behind me it distracted him for a second. But the ring soon started affecting him, making him extremely uncomfortable. He looked over at us again for a second, having to look around the people arguing. I gave him a reassuring smile and he nodded his head.

Then he rose from his seat and walking into the mass of arguing council members.

"I will take it!" Frodo shouted into the crowd, causing a few of the people to pause in their argument and listen. "I will take it."

Almost everyone around was quiet now, losing interest in the arguments from before and focusing on what the small child like being was saying. He was so tiny walking amongst the crowd.

"I will take the ring to Mordor." Frodo stated again, to make sure that everyone had heard him correctly. "Though, I do not know the way."

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, for as long as it is yours to bear." Gandalf told Frodo as he placed a hand on his shoulders to reassure him.

"If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will." Aragorn told Frodo as he rose from his seat and walked over to Frodo. As he knelt down he finished his vow. "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow." Legolas put in, after a mostly indiscreet nod from Elrond.

"And my axe." Gimli put it, making Legolas cringe a little.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done." Boromir stated as he walked to the gather group.

Grabbing Saffy's hand as I rose and began walking over to Frodo, I placed my other hand on Frodo's head lifting his chin up and smiling.

"We will guide and guard you to the best of our abilities." I assured him.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of you." Saffy agreed.

"Mr. Frodo is not going anywhere without me." Sam said, popping up from behind the nearby bushes and running into the circle to join the group of us standing around Frodo.

"No indeed." Elrond said with a smile. "It is hardly possible to separate you even when he is invited to a secret council and you are not."

Sam looked abashed at being called out on eavesdropping, but didn't have too much time to feel ashamed, as both Merry and Pippin came bounding from behind the columns where they hid.

"Oi! We're coming too!" Their shouts came as they ran to join us.

"You'd have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us." Merry said, causing a smile to appear on my face.

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest…thing." Pippin concluded.

"Well, that rules you out, Pip." Merry informed him, causing the smile to get wiped off of Pippin's face.

"Eleven companions." Elrond surmised. "So be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."

"Great, where are we going?" Pippin asked, causing the hobbits, Saffy, and myself to laugh.

"Candy Mountain, it's a land of sweets and joy and joyness." I told Pippin in the high-pitched Charlie the Unicorn voice, causing Saffy to smack me upside the head.

"I'm not sure I deserved that." I told her, she just rolled her eyes at me.

"I believe there is a need for introductions." Elrond stated.

"Hey, for those of you who haven't met me yet. I'm Deirdre, but feel free to call me DiDi, everyone does." I told them all with a smile.

"And I'm Saffron, but you can call me Saffy." Saffy told them.

The group went around introducing themselves to the other who they did not know. Saffy and I were pretty lucky, neither of us actually had to relearn any of their names. After everyone had introduced themselves, I walked over to Aragorn.

"Aragorn?" I asked him, to get his attention. "Would you be willing to teach Saffy and I how to wield swords?"

"Are you sure that you both can handle the training?" he asked, not entirely sure about doing this.

"Well, we gotta learn somehow. Besides, I think we both have a love of swords anyway. Seems like the best way to learn." I responded.

"We start after lunch." Aragorn told us, which earned a fan girl scream from me. "Boromir, would you be willing to assist in their training?"

"I suppose." Boromir said gruffly, I had a feeling that what I had said earlier was still angering him.

"Awesome, and Legolas? Is there any way that you could teach me how to shoot a bow, too?" I requested, giving him my best puppy dog face.

"Alright, we will have to work out a training schedule. Will you be able to handle two training sessions in one day?" he asked me.

"I'm tougher than I look." I replied.

"Does this mean that you can't come exploring with us?" Pippin asked, sad that I would probably be too busy to explore Rivendell with them.

"We will have to see how training works out. It may turn out that I am so good with a sword that I won't have to train at all." I said jokingly.

"Like that could happen." Saffy said.

"Hey, it's my dream. Don't shatter the illusion just yet." I teased back at her. "Besides, we both know I'm better with a sword than you."

"You practice more." She complained.

"Actually, its natural talent." I said dramatically as I flipped my hair.

"Keep telling yourself that." Saffy responded.

The others were laughing at our antics at this point, I was beginning to think that most of the people in middle earth weren't funny. After all, it was a well-known fact that I was not funny, non-funniness was a family trait for me.

Our company split up, so that Aragorn and Boromir could find swords for us to practice with, after Saffy yelled after them to grab two for each of us. The hobbits, Saffy, and I went to hang out in one of the gardens. While Gandalf, Gimli, and Legolas all went off to do their respective things, I didn't really care enough to know what they were doing. The fellowship would become friendlier soon.

After we ate lunch, Saffy and I walked with Aragorn and Boromir to a training ground. Which made me a little nervous because there were some other elves there who were going to see me fight with a real blade for the first time. I'd done sword fights with my friends with padded swords so that when we hit each other it didn't hurt as much and wasn't lethal. But I had never fought with a real blade before.

"Alright, first we need to test what skill you already have with a blade." Aragorn said as he handed both Saffy and I a single sword each, leaving our other swords on the ground where he had originally put them.

"So, who wants to face me first?" Aragorn asked.

Saffy nudged me, making it clear that she didn't want to be the first one up. And even though I was a little nervous, I wasn't going to let that affect me.

"I will." I said with a smile on my face.

I picked up my sword, the handle was cold and I knew I would end up with mass amounts of blisters on my hands after training with it. It had happened before when I sparred with my friends for hours at a time. But it was going to be worth it, being able to defend myself and hopefully not be abducted by uruk-hai.

"Are you ready?" Aragorn asked.

I nodded my head and raised my sword in a ready position. He smiled, then nodded his head. I made the first move, which he quickly blocked. Then he made to strike at me, but I blocked as well. Our blades danced back and forth, who was on offense and defense changed every few blows. I was thinking that Aragorn was going easy on me, at least compared to what he would be doing when it came to fighting his enemies. My body was becoming tired and my breathing ragged as the fight wore on. It was taking so long, and it felt like we had been fighting for hours instead of minutes. But I kept fighting as best I could, I felt the endorphins rushing through my veins as adrenaline ran rampant in my body. As much as the fighting tired my body, I felt surprisingly good. That is I felt good until Aragorn managed to get a blow in that I didn't block and his sword sliced my arm. Causing me to cry out, it really hurt. Immediately Aragorn looked sympathetic that he had hurt me.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I looked at the scratch on my arm then back up at him. I had a smile on my face, the cut was barely stinging at all.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No worries." I said shrugging off the last bit of pain I was feeling from the cut. "So how did I do?"

"Surprisingly well. I didn't anticipate you would be able to hold your own that long." He informed me.

"Well, you were holding back on me. But thanks." I said with a smile.

"I wasn't really holding back fighting you. I wasn't trying to kill you, but I treated it as with any non-lethal match." He told me, a smile on his face. "You should get your cut taken care of."

"What? And miss Saffy fighting? I don't think so." I said, taking a seat beside Saffy.

She was standing up with her sword in hand, a slight smile on her face. Aragorn smiled, though he looked a little winded by our fight, which made me feel a little bit better about my fighting ability.

"Are you ready to fight, Aragorn?" Saffy asked him.

"Yes, of course. I just did not anticipate that Deirdre would be that good." He said with a smile.

"I thought I told you to call me DiDi, mister. Deirdre is really formal." I told him from my place on the ground.

"Sure, DiDi." He said, my name sounding strange on his lips. "Alright, Saffy. Let's see how you fare."

Saffy smile at him, then nodded her head. Their match began in much the same manner that mine with Aragorn had. Exchanging blows and then blocking them. Saffy wasn't used to fighting. She could wrestle for sure, and had fought with our padded swords to some extent. So she held her own for a while. But there was hesitation in her movements, being careful with how she moved so as not to get cut. There match went on for a few minutes, until Aragorn knocked the sword from Saffy's hands.

"Not bad. You are both full of wonderful surprises. Now if the hobbits are as good as you two then maybe this won't be so challenging." Aragorn said with a smile on his face.

I glanced over to where Boromir had been watching the entire time, he had a blank look on his face. I stood from my place and went over to stand next to him. Not looking at him and just standing by his side, I could feel his eyes shift to me.

"What do you think, Boromir? Can we survive a fight?" I asked him, still not looking at him.

"I think it is not a bad place for you to start at, though you still need training if you are going to hope to survive a fight." Boromir said, sounding very flat.

"Thank you for being honest." I said with a smile, glancing over at him.

His expression didn't change when I smiled, which I can't really blame him for. I did kinda make fun of his intelligence earlier during the council, though I didn't think that he would still be holding it against me.

"Sorry about the comment about being dropped on your head as a child." I told him, trying to get him to understand that I was feeling sorry.

"Right. Do you want to spar or not?" he asked, sounding very annoyed.

"Oh, yeah sure. Of course." I said, moving into the open practice area.

"Aragorn, give pointers for her while we fight." He said.

I began my match against Boromir, he was definitely more aggressive in his fighting style. His anger began feeding my own, our attacks became harsher and faster. I could hear Aragorn shouting out that I needed to focus and keep control of my actions. But my blows kept getting more powerful, as did Boromir's. Every time he struck at me, I tried to double the power in his attack and return it. My breathing was coming harshly by now. I could hear Boromir breathing heavily as well. I pushed extra heavily on one of my attacks, his blade was forced to move out of the way and my sword sliced along his wrist. Boromir dropped his sword at the cut and I saw the blood run down my blade. As soon as I realized what had happened, my sword fell from my hands and I rushed to help Boromir.

"Oh, shit. I am so sorry. Are you alright?" My words came out as a rush as I carefully held onto his arm. Without thinking, I put my hand over the cut and applied pressure to stop the bleeding.

"I'm fine. I've had worse." He responded, his voice tight and angry.

"You should still get it treated. Hopefully the bleeding has slowed down some. Keep your arm above the level of your heart and we can go get it taken care of." I said still holding onto his wrist, my hand keeping pressure on his cut.

"I can go alone, I do not need your help." He replied.

"Boromir. I still have to go and get my cut taken care of as well. At least this way there will be company." I offered.

He sighed and I think realized that he wasn't going to get rid of me that easily. So we walked off to the house of healing, so that both of us could get cleaned up from the blood.

"Can you forgive me for insulting you earlier?" I asked him.

He looked down at me and wasn't looking too very pleased, until his eyes ranged over to the top of my dress, which showed my cleavage. His hand had replaced mine at keeping pressure on his sliced wrist.

"Boromir if you are going to look down my top at least manage to maintain a conversation at the same time. Just standing here is awkward." I told him with a dull expression on my face.

He coughed and with a flush across his face turned away. I almost laughed at him.

"Don't worry about it, they have their own gravitational pull." I joked. "Come on, let's get your wrist taken care of."

And with that I grabbed his hand and half dragged him to the house of healing. We found some elves, who were more than willing to tend to the injuries that we had gotten during training. It only took a few minutes for everything to get patched up. Though there was still a rip in my dress, but there wasn't much hope for the dress considering that I had been fighting in it.

We started walking back to the training field in silence, I could feel Boromir's eyes on me most of the way back. The hallway that we walked through blocked out some of the sun light. This resulted in the bright sun light which assaulted our eyes, when we emerged into the open air, painful.

"Gah!" I cried out. "That's it I am going nocturnal."

Boromir chuckled a little, I guess my antics were amusing. I could hear the clashing of blades against one another ringing from the practice field.

"Aw, man. I'm missing all the practice." I complained, then without a word I took off running to the sound of clashing blades.

Leaving Boromir in my dust, I skidded to a halt when I came onto the practice field to see Saffy and Aragorn fighting, then plopped down on the ground to watch them fight.

The rest of the training that day continued much in the same manner that it had started prior to the injuries. Both Saffy and I were given our second blade today, to practice with, making it much easier to get the advantage on Aragorn. Though our blows were weaker, the use of two swords at once made it so that we could defend and strike more quickly than with one blade. When the training had finally ended for the day, it was time for dinner. I felt rather grungy, but just kept going.

Aragorn and Legolas talked at dinner about a training schedule for me. I was supposed to wake up before breakfast and go for a run every morning with Aragorn, which immediately put a damper on training. Then I had training with Aragorn right after breakfast, and would learn to use the bow after lunch. The remaining time was going to be free time, which undoubtedly I was going to spend with the hobbits and Saffy.

Saffy and I both returned to our room rather quickly after dinner and collapsed into the bed. We snuggled up under the covers, waiting in the darkness for exhaustion to make itself known. But in waiting for that point, we did what most any teenage girls do when they are alone, they have girl talk.

"So, when I went to get Boromir and I's cuts taken care of. We were having a conversation and he stopped to look at me, he ended up staring down my shirt and stopped talking." I said with a giggle.

"Wow, DiDi. Your tits have claimed another victim to their hypnotic spell." Saffy said, as she shifted in the bed so that she was no longer using the pillow for its purpose and instead was using my chest.

"Comfortable?" I questioned in a bored tone. I was all too used to this, boobs made nice, soft, squishy pillows. And for that they would always be used for.

"Uh-huh." Saffy responded.

"So, I was thinking. We should definitely mess with Boromir." I said with a slight grin.

"And by mess with him, you mean break his brain." Saffy corrected me, to which I only nodded my head.

"Whatever else would I mean?" I questioned, with mock innocence in my voice.

"How much do you think we should mess with him?" she questioned.

"Hmmm, I dunno. I don't want to be too evil, after all he doesn't really deserve that. But we can definitely have a little fun with him." I said an evil grin spreading across my face.

"Oh, I would think of nothing but. It's only fair." She said, sounding logical in her defense of her idea.

"Saffy, I think I'm falling asleep." I told her as a yawn escaped my mouth.

"Indeed, you seem to be." She said, her voice showing how amused she was.

"Nighty night, love." I said, another yawn breaking through my words.

"You too, darling." She replied, we had both dropped back into our terms of endearment as I fell first into the darkness of sleep.

***End Chapter 5 ***

You know the drill. Read and Review please. XD


	6. Chapter 6

The language starting here is getting coarser. I hope that the F word doesn't offend you.

A/N: As usual, I own nothing.

***Chapter 6***

***Deirdre's POV***

I groaned, there was something trying to bring me back to the world of awakeness. And I was doing my very best to hold onto the tendrils of sleep. It felt nice, sleeping. And with my muscles starting to feel a little tight from the previous day, I wanted to hold onto sleep a little while longer. So I shut my eyes even tighter and tried to burrow my head back into the pillow.

"Go 'way." I mumbled, having pillow in my mouth I was sure that it didn't come out clearly.

"Deirdre, wake up. You have to go for a run with me this morning." I heard Aragorn's voice saying.

"Aragorn, since this is your first offense trying to wake me I will only say this once." I said, keeping my eyes shut and turning my head so that he could hear me. "Fuck off, it's sleepy time."

Aragorn's shock was so tangible that I could feel it. He may not have known what 'Fuck' meant, but he would have to be reasonably dense in order to not take it as a swear word. However, in place of Aragorn's polite attempts at awakening me, I got Saffy. Who not only took the pillow from underneath my head and pulled all the blankets away from me, causing me to whimper, but she also roughly shoved me. Needless to say, I fell off the bed. This only made me groan once more, though now my eyes opened and the searing light pierced my retinas.

"Agh, too bright." I said, shutting my eyes to block out the light. "I guess I forgot to tell you Aragorn. I'm a vampire and am allergic to sunlight."

Which only cause Saffy to throw one of the pillows from the bed at me. However, what she did not expect was that I would take it and use the pillow to block out the bright light, that was really brighter than it had any right to be.

"DiDi, get up or we will find a nice cold waterfall to throw you into." Saffy informed me, her voice still thick with sleep.

" Saffy, has anyone ever told you that you're evil." I asked knowing that I had in the past.

"Yes, you have." She replied almost sleepily.

"Then I shouldn't need to repeat myself." I muttered from underneath the pillow, however between the fall from the bed and all this arguing I was as conscious as I was going to get.

So I stood up from the floor and smacked Saffy with the pillow that she had thrown at me. Then stretched my arms and back out, causing a lovely crack to sound. I sighed as soon as it did and slumped back into my lazy, it's morning position.

"Aragorn, there had better be something very sweet at breakfast for me." I told him, opening one eye to look at him with.

Aragorn only smiled. I yawned once more and decided that this was going to be the best that I was going to do on alertness until the afternoon.

"God, I miss caffeine." I grumbled. "What I wouldn't give for an energy drink right now."

Aragorn just shook his head at my morning ramblings. While they made perfect sense to my half-asleep brain, I'm sure that he was confused.

"Do I at least get a bath after the run?" I asked him, to which I received a nod. "Great, now get out. I need to put clothes on."

Aragorn smiled and began walking out of the room. Only to stop and turn around to look at me for a moment.

"Don't you dare fall back asleep. Or I will come back in to drag you to a waterfall." Aragorn threatened.

"And what if I fall asleep naked?" I asked, only half joking, sadly, falling asleep while changing my clothes had happened to me before. I had often gotten dressed curled up under the covers in the winter when I was younger, which is not very conducive to staying awake.

"Then I will make sure to leave you where everyone can see you." Aragorn said with a laugh as he shut the door.

I laughed a little at his response, he was going to be a lot of fun. He at least didn't take everything too seriously. At least not yet, when he would be fighting for his life and those he cared about he would be dead serious.

"Saffy? Can you fasten my corset?" I asked her, only to turn around and find her laying on the bed falling back to sleep. "Oh no, missy. You are not going back to sleep. Not when I have to wake up and go for a run."

"Hey, you are the one who wanted to learn archery as well as sword fighting. Personally, I think it's just a way to get close to Legolas." She replied, her words beginning to drift off.

"Saffy!" I said harshly, causing her to sit back up lazily. "Please fasten my corset?" I asked with a puppy dog pout.

She rolled her eyes then gestured for me to turn around, which I promptly did. She laced the corset up my body, pulling it tight enough that it would do it's just but also loose enough to let me breathe. Which I was very grateful for, trying to run without oxygen would be entertaining to watch not to try. Once she had finished, she let go of the lacings and smacked my ass, quickly followed by falling back onto the bed with a whump.

I rolled my eyes at her and found myself a tunic which would suit for running today. It seemed that I would be wearing less dresses for training than most women, well at least for running. However, when searching through the closet I could find absolutely no pants. I let out an angry sigh and instead of pants or breeches or whatever they were called in this world, found a skirt that could work as a bottom. Considering the option of running without a skirt on underneath and just hoping that the tunic would be long enough during my run, I slipped the skirt on. Thankfully, the skirt had slits up either side which made it so that I could move more freely. I moved over to the vanity and pulled the brush through my hair and quickly tied it back into a ponytail with a strap of leather.

A knock on the door made me jump slightly only to rush over to it with leather boots in hand. Once I pulled the door open, I saw Aragorn standing on the other side with an impatient look on his face.

"Women take a longer time to get ready than men." I responded as I pulled on my boots while standing up, which I must say is not the easiest thing to do.

"Are you done then?" he asked a little impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm done." I answered as I shut the door, leaving behind my sleeping friend who I would love to trade places with right now.

Aragorn led the way and together as the sun rose fully over the horizon, which I complained once again about the time, we ran through the forests about Rivendell. It was a beautiful run, reminding me of races through the trees back home. We both kept rather quiet, I especially needed to save my breath. Although I had all those nice happy feel good chemicals rushing through my body, I was still getting tired. When it came to me falling behind Aragorn every few steps after catching up again, I did what I always did when I grew tired but still had to run. I sang lame songs as I went, the first of which being pulled from an anime that I had watched years ago with my brother. It was a drill sergeant tune that I found highly amusing and somehow always got me to be able to run just a little bit longer.

"You wanna be an airforce ranger/ You wanna live a life of danger/ You don't wanna get raped by a stranger." I began singing quietly as I went, repeating the lines over and over again until I was maintaining a steady pace with Aragorn.

The song kept me going through our run, though towards the end I was coughing as I sang. Aragorn had laughed a little at the beginning but once I started coughing, unable to get air properly flowing into my body he stopped laughing. But I kept jogging right by his side, whether coughing or not.

Our run finished after about what I felt like was an eternity, but was probably only about half an hour, which was essentially an eternity when I didn't have a lot of stamina built up.

"Aragorn? Do I need to wear tunics all the time now? Or should I wear dresses?" I asked him, which made Aragorn laugh.

"You are asking me what you should wear?" He asked me unbelieving.

"I'm going to be fighting and training most of the day, is there really going to be a significant difference in what I wear?" I asked, annoyed that he wouldn't give me a straight answer.

"It shouldn't matter that I can think of. After all, either way you are wearing a skirt." Aragorn told me, still not believing that I was asking his opinion on clothing choices.

"Thank you, Aragorn." I said with a smile and then gave him a nice, big sweaty hug.

Much to my disappointment Aragorn wasn't really grossed out at all. Having people used to lack of hygiene was really lame, if he was going to make me run every morning than I wanted some way to get a little bit of payback for it. But apparently, it didn't seem likely for me to manage that.

So instead I walked back to my room and started removing my sweaty clothing, it's weird I was stickier today after running then yesterday when I had been sword fighting. But I decided that if I wasn't going to be able to get at Aragorn with gross, sweatiness than Saffy would pay for getting to sleep in later than me. So as I took of my tunic I tossed it onto the bed and managed to hit her with it. I smiled to myself as I unlaced my corset and slipped out of the remainder of my clothing and sunk into the nice hot bath that had been prepared for me. While I was relaxing and cleaning away all evidence of recent exercise the door to the bathroom opened and Saffy walked in. She glared at me, holding the used tunic up as evidence. I just smiled back innocently.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked me.

"You got way more sleep than I did. It's only fair." I said, noticing how Saffy put the tunic down on the same chair that I had placed the rest of my discarded clothing on. She then promptly walked out of the room, leaving me in the solace of my nice warm bath.

I washed up rather quickly after that and wrapped a towel around my body as I left the bathroom. Once out in the main room, I grabbed a fresh corset, dress and undergarments and began dressing. When I had the corset in position but had yet to lace it, I looked over at Saffy who was sitting on the bed.

"Saffy? Corset?" I asked, deciding that there was no real use to more words than that, since she knew what I meant.

"You want me to lace your corset after you threw your used tunic on me?" she asked, feigning anger.

"Hey, you know the agreement. You lace me into my corsets and I lace you into yours." I told her, reminding her of the deal that we had struck up on the first day that we were here together.

She rolled her eyes at me but motioned for me to turn around nonetheless. She laced me up for the second time today, and I knew that she was going to utilize the deal that we had made and make me lace her corset as well. As she was finishing up Celebiel arrived and began preparing the usual second bath for Saffy. Our days had become so similar that this regimented schedule felt right. I chatted away with Celebiel as Saffy bathed. My hair was in the twin braids once more only this time all my hair was gathered at the nape of my neck and flowed down into a ponytail.

Saffy and I walked to breakfast together once again, and took our seats with the four hobbits. While the hobbits smiled at us, there was some sadness in their smiles as they knew there was no time left for us to go adventuring with them. Making the quest seem just that much more real.

Once again after breakfast, Saffy and I left the dining hall with Aragorn and Boromir. Aragorn had insisted that we not take our swords back to our room just yet, as he thought we would kill one another, and so our swords awaited us when we arrived at the practice field. Our training session today was similar to what it was yesterday. We both sparred a match or two with both Aragorn and Boromir, and then to shake things up a bit, we faced off against each other. We weren't sure exactly what the results of our match was, considering it ended with me only holding one sword, which happened to be pressed against Saffy's neck. Overall, I think it was a draw. I relished the times that Saffy was fighting and I got a breather, the training was very intense and I was hoping that archery with Legolas after lunch would not be as straining. Though I was sure that it would be making entirely new muscles want to cry. Aragorn actually let Saffy and I take our swords with us after the training session today.

Lunch was a rather happy affair, both Saffy and I were eating like normal people, which made the hobbits make all sorts of jokes about how we were finally being human. Just when I was finishing up with my food, I felt eyes on my back. Turning around, there was Legolas with his perfectly clean and straight blonde hair. Just looking at him in person I could easily tell that he was definitely going to be all neat and clean throughout the entire trip.

"Are you ready for your first lesson?" Legolas asked me, his voice was rather calm but wasn't harsh or cold like Boromir's always was.

"Yep, definitely." I said brightly, I had been wanting to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow for a while. Guns I could do, but I had only tried using a bow and arrow a few times.

He lead us out of the dining hall after I had waved goodbye to everyone. I followed with a smile on my face, I was really excited to be learning archery and it didn't hurt that my instructor was kinda hot.

At the practice field, Legolas had a bow and quiver of arrows waiting for me. It wasn't as intricate of a bow as what any of the elves used, this was meant entirely for learners.

"I trust you know the form for archery?" Legolas asked.

"Uh, I think so." I replied, thinking back to how I had stood in the past with a bow and arrow in my hands.

"Take the position, please." Legolas instructed me.

I placed the bow in my left hand and notched an arrow, then pulled back and stood in the stance that I had always associated with archery. Legolas circled around me, finding out how he needed to reset my position. He shifted my hold on the bow, stating that I was holding in the wrong place. Then grabbing my hips, shifted the angle that I was standing at. His hands corrected my form until I was in the correct elven position.

Standing just behind me, he pointed to a tree in front of me about 100 feet away. His breath was warm on my neck and I could barely hold in the shudder at the sensation.

"That tree is your target. When you are ready fire." He instructed carefully, then I could feel him moving away to give me space.

I took a few deep breaths, lining my arrow up with the tree and tried to make sure that I had the arrow taught in the bow. However, when I tried to release the arrow my fingers slipped on the angle of the arrow, which caused a very unfortunate mishap. Instead of the arrow flying over at the tree, the front of the arrow popped up and hit me in the forehead.

My eyes flashed shut in reflex. There was a sharp pain hitting me in the forehead, which I realized was the arrow striking me in the face. Then a warm liquid began sliding down my face from the original spot that the pain erupted from. I opened my eyes and looking at my nose, there was blood running down the length of it. The blood even took a side track and began streaming into my eye.

"Ow, ow, ow. Blood in my eye, blood in my eye!" I cried, putting my hand up to my forehead in hopes to stop the blood flow.

Glancing over at Legolas I could see the remains of a smile on his face, as much as he was trying not to laugh as it was rude to laugh at someone else's pain, he was having to bite his lip to keep the laughter in. I frowned a little at him, but then winced when that caused my forehead to hurt even more. His smile disappeared as he realized that I may have really hurt myself.

"Are you alright? We need to get you to a healer." Legolas began saying.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." I told him, keeping my hand on my forehead. "Head wounds just bleed more than anything."

"Come on, let's get you to a healer." He said as he grabbed my hand that wasn't pressed to my head.

"No, Legolas. I'm fine really." I said, though I'm sure that I wasn't sounding very convincing.

"You are not fine, you are bleeding profusely." Legolas said.

"No, please. I'm fine. If I got to a healer than Aragorn and Boromir might not let me train tomorrow. Can we just go back to practice?" I pleaded.

"Deirdre, you need to have your head looked at. If the healers say you are up to it then you can go back to training, but not until you don't have blood streaming down your face." Legolas reasoned.

"Fine, but as soon as the healers say it's alright I want to go back to practice tonight." I told him, to which he only shook his head.

When we walked into the house of healing, the healer who had taken care of my arm yesterday spied us. His face was slightly amused and rather agitated.

"What did you do this time?" he asked, probably amazed that I had managed to get hurt again so soon.

"I shot myself in the head." I muttered, trying not to speak very loud after all it was kind of embarrassing.

"You shot yourself in the head?" the elf asked unbelieving, a slight smile appearing on his face when he asked this. Was everyone amused by my pain?

"Uh, yeah. Can you just bandage me up so I can go back to training?" I asked, mildly annoyed that he was finding this so amusing.

The elf nodded with a smile on his face, then pulled me over to a nearby bed, he sat me down and began cleaning the blood from my face. I scrunched my face up a bit when he hit my injury but other than that he got no reaction as the blood was slowly removed from my face. When he had bandaged my head, he rose from the bed and looked over at Legolas who had been waiting patiently through the entire procedure.

"I don't think that she should be fighting for a few days." The healer told Legolas, which bothered me.

"Can I use a mirror?" I asked them, irritation seeping into my tone.

The healer nodded to me with confusion clear on his face. But nevertheless he led me over to a mirror, and let me look in it. My face was much the same, only now there was a white bandage wrapped about my forehead. But that wasn't what I was looking for, I looked at my eyes.

The color was still blue, but I focused on the pupils. There was no significant difference in pupil size, which put a smile on my face. Legolas and the healer behind me were sure to be confused at what I was doing. So I turned around to face them.

"There is no reason why I shouldn't be able to fight." I informed the healer.

I was met by confused looks on their faces, I was guessing that healing in middle earth was not quite as advanced as in my world. Or at least not advanced in the same way, typically the worry with a head injury would be damage to the brain. But there was no pressure being put on my brain, as could be determined from the lack of significant change in dilation, therefore having no concussion I had no reason not to be able to fight.

"You shot yourself in the head, you could have internal injuries that could lead to problems later if you overexert yourself." The healer reasoned, trying to convince me that fighting was not possible right now.

"The likelihood of having any internal injuries from merely being hit in the head with an arrow is low. Besides, there is no pressure being put on my brain, so there is no problem. Trust me, I can fight without a problem. The only thing that could be potentially problematic would be dizziness caused by blood loss." I told the healer, then looking over at Legolas. "So can we go back to you showing me how to use a bow and arrow?"

After a hesitant look over to the healer, Legolas consented to resume our practice. Though he was much more careful with me and released the first few arrows along with me, holding my hands so that I didn't shoot myself in the head once more. Then again, I wasn't going to be complaining. It was nice having his arms around me and him pressing against my back. Through our close proximity I could feel just how sculpted his muscles were, and there was one word to describe it "yum".

By the end of the session I could successfully get the arrow to fly in the direction that I wanted it to, sans injuries. Best for me, was there was no more pain other than the random throb of blood flow to the cut on my forehead. After the first time that I managed to hit the tree, far from where he wanted me to, we called it a day. He had me leave the bow and quiver with him at the training grounds. I was starting to think that people really didn't trust me with sharp objects. But I ended up with my dual swords after the practice today.

There was about half an hour left before dinner, so I said my farewells to Legolas and headed off to my room. I deposited my swords there, having kept them with me because there hadn't been time to run back to the room after lunch. It took a lot of will power not to remove the bandage from my head and see what was left behind. Resisting the urge, I walked out of my room and found a garden to relax in before dinner.

I walked into the garden and was met by the sight of Saffy laughing with the hobbits. I started sneaking up behind Saffy, putting my finger up to my lips to tell the hobbits not to say anything. They looked away from me and back down at Saffy almost immediately, so she didn't suspect anything. When I finally got right up behind her I lowered myself closer to the ground and tackled Saffy from behind. She squealed and automatically started fighting back. I may be able to fight with martial weapons, but when it comes to wrestling, I sucked. Saffy quickly pinned me to the ground straddling my waist and pinning my arms on either side of my head. I pouted at how easily she had pinned me, while I should be used to it, I was still annoyed.

"Merry, Pippin. Tackle Saffy." I said, asking them to help me.

Both hobbits smiled and jumped into the fray, once they were tackled Saffy I looked at her with a grin as she made eye contact. I nodded my head with a great big smile on my face and jumped back into the fight. Only this time instead of attacking Saffy, I went after the hobbits. Together we pinned the hobbits to the ground and with another shared look between the two of us, began tickling their sides. However, I grew tired of harassing the hobbits, and tackled Saffy once more. I had managed to pin her to the ground with my skirt rising up high on my legs, when she flipped me over straddling my waist. By now, my skirt was baring most of my legs, the skirt pooling around the ground and part of it lay between my legs covering me at least a little. I squirmed beneath Saffy, she laughed until the sound of a throat being cleared made her turn to look. I shifted my head to see who Saffy was staring at, only to find Legolas standing a few feet away. His eyes roamed both Saffy's and my forms. While she was distracted, I shifted my hips and managed to swing it around so that I had her arms pinned down.

"Hah!" I cried out, proud that I had switched the position around.

Saffy merely rolled her eyes and relaxed on the ground. Deciding that I was bored I pulled away from Saffy and sat back, fixing my skirt so that it covered my legs as I settled.

Before anything else could be said, the bell signaling it was time for dinner sounded. I rose from the ground and walked to the dining hall in the company of the hobbits, Legolas had somehow vanished during the time it took me to pin Saffy and settle myself down. Dinner went in the usual fashion of meals in Rivendell, with the addition of being made fun of for shooting myself in the head. There was laughter and good times had. After dinner the sun was sinking on the horizon, so I went to one of the gardens to watch the sunset with Saffy and the hobbits.

Later that night, Saffy and I returned to our room once more and collapsed on the bed in exhaustion. Our conversation light before I fell into darkness.

***End Chapter 6***

Alright that's Chapter 6. Read and Review as always.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I'm sure that you all know by now, I own nothing.

***Chapter 7***

**Deirdre's POV **

My days spent in Rivendell were very similar to one another. I ran with Aragorn in the mornings, I found out that he ran with Saffy later in the afternoon. Then trained for the majority of the day, by night time I would collapse into bed, my muscles aching.

A flurry of preparations began a few days before the fellowship was set to head out. By this time I could run at the same speed as Aragorn for the distance that we normally covered, though I lagged behind a slight amount when the runs extended even more. I could fight with my dual blades, it got to the point that every few fights I would be able to best both Boromir and Aragorn. And thanks to Legolas' teachings I could hit my target with an arrow most of the time when firing rapidly. It had only been a month or so since the council meeting, so we had had some time to prepare and especially for Saffy and I to train. The hobbits had also worked with Aragorn and Boromir for training how to use a blade, but admittedly their training was much less rigorous.

The night before the fellowship left for Mordor, there was a feast held. And somehow due to Merry and Pippin hanging around Saffy to long or by her mistake, they had discovered that I could sing. It was probably because I had been quietly singing songs that I loved when I walked around the gardens alone, and the silly little songs that I sang as I ran. But somehow, Merry and Pippin had let word get around that I could sing, and it resulted in requests being made for me to sing a song before I left on the long journey. So here I was, standing in front of a lot of people who waited for me to sing a song to them.

I shoved down my nerves a little and pretended that I knew no one in the crowd. It had always been a problem of mine, I had performed hundreds of times by now in plays and other performances, and I was always especially nervous when people I knew were in the audience. For me, I didn't care what people I didn't know thought of me. But my friends, family, and people I cared about had every right to judge me and I feared that if they thought that I did poorly, then they would secretly have that thought in their heads when they saw me.

I chose a song that I had heard Celtic Woman sing before, it was happy and beautiful. So as I sang a slight smile appeared on my face.

_High is the moon tonight__  
__Hiding its guiding light__  
__High___

_Heaven and earth do sleep__  
__Still in the dark so deep__  
__I will the darkness sweep___

_I will the moon to flight__  
__I will the heavens bright__  
__I will the earth delight___

_Open your eyes with me__  
__See paradise with me__  
__Awake and arise with me___

_I am the dawn, I'm the new day begun__  
__I bring you the morning, I bring you the sun__  
__I hold back the night and I open the skies__  
__I give light to the world, I give sight to your eyes___

_From the first of all time, until time is undone__  
__Forever and ever and ever and ever__  
__And I am the dawn and the sky and the sun__  
__I am one with the One, and I am the dawn___

_I am the sky and the dawn and the sun__  
__I am the sky and the new day begun__  
__I am the sky and the dawn and the sun__  
_

When I had finished the song there was a moment of complete silence, then there was applause. I quickly hurried back to my seat and finished the meal with a red flush across my face and my head tilted downward. It was awkward for me having so many people clapping. However, I decided that I didn't need to be the only one singing.

"Saffy can sing too." I told the hobbits.

The hobbits then circulated that Saffy could sing as well and so much like I had been pressured into singing for the crowd before it was her turn to get up in front of everyone at Imladris and sing. Finally giving into the requests, Saffy rose from her seat next to me and walked up to where I had sung but a short while before.

_Hands touch, eyes meet  
Sudden silence, sudden heat  
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl  
He could be that boy  
But I'm not that girl_

_Don't dream too far  
Don't lose sight of who you are  
Don't remember that rush of joy  
He could be that boy  
I'm not that girl_

_Ev'ry so often we long to steal  
To the land of what-might-have-been  
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel  
When reality sets back in_

_Blithe smile, lithe limb  
She who's winsome, she wins him  
Gold hair with a gentle curl  
That's the girl he chose  
And Heaven knows  
I'm not that girl_

_Don't wish, don't start  
Wishing only wounds the heart  
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl  
There's a girl I know  
He loves her so  
I'm not that girl..._

I smiled as I listened to my friend sing the song. It was lovely. When she had finished, there was an air of sadness about the room as the company heard the words of the song and felt the pain. But when the song had finished, Saffy smiled and the room cheered for her. I clapped my hands until they felt sore and as soon as Saffy returned to her seat next to me I hugged her.

There was music and rejoicing for the rest of the night, but the members of the fellowship retired rather early. Saffy and I being among them, it was going to be difficult enough getting to sleep with the excitement for the journey starting officially tomorrow, and we would definitely need the sleep.

Saffy and I both curled up once more in the comfy bed for the last time in what would seem a very long time. Even with the anxiety for what was to come rushing through my mind, I somehow managed to find the solace of sleep after a short time.

I stood in the patio of sorts waiting to leave with the fellowship. Around me stood the other members who would travel with to Mordor to aid in the destruction of the Ring of Power. To say I was a little nervous, would be the understatement of the century. Sure, I knew the fate of the members of the fellowship, but Saffy and I? There was no guarantee that we would come back alive. And knowing what the attacks would be wasn't really helping calm my nerves at all.

"The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom. On you who travel with him no oath or bond is laid, to go further than you will." Elrond told the group of us standing, waiting to depart. "Farewell, hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves and Men and all free folk go with you."

Elrond looked at each of us in turn as a way to reassure us on our journey. He had a gentle smile on his face as he opened his arms to us.

"The Fellowship awaits the Ring-bearer." Gandalf stated, as his sort of cue for Frodo to start walking.

Frodo walked out beyond the courtyard but his steps became hesitant when it came to a direction to walk.

"Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?" Frodo whispered quietly to Gandalf.

"Left." Gandalf replied, I knew there was a smile on his face in amusement.

As soon as we left the direct view of Rivendell, I laced my arm with Saffy's, and urged her forward so that she would skip. She resisted at first, but when I pouted she relented for a moment or so.

"We're off to see the dark lord. The evil lord of Mordor. Because he is a son of a-." I sang as I skipped next to Saffy until she put her hand over my mouth.

With the hand clamped over my mouth my singing stopped. But, I licked the part of Saffy's hand that was over my mouth, causing her to remove it.

"Ew. Gross, DiDi cooties." She complained as she wiped the spit that I got on her on my arm.

"You like it and you know it." I teased her.

"What are cooties?" Pippin asked, causing me to giggle.

"You know the germs that you get from someone of the opposite gender?" I asked him. "Those are cooties."

"Do you want some, Pippin?" Saffy teased.

Pippin vehemently shook his head back and forth which caused the fellowship to laugh. Well, minus the elf, who apparently found my pain funnier than teasing Pippin, then again most people did, and Gandalf who must have thought we were being childish.

The journey was long and tiresome, my feet were very sore by the end of each day when we would finally set up camp for the night. Watch was generally shared between Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, and Legolas. I guess that they didn't trust Saffy and I enough to keep watch, and the hobbits couldn't have been bothered. Every night, Saffy and I would curl up together using each other's body heat for warmth and comfort. Saffy was slowly getting rid of her issues with sleeping around people. But for me, the insomnia grew worse and worse. My nights were restless and I felt guilty about lying next to Saffy, shifting often.

After the first week of these restless nights, I grew tired of staring directly up at the night sky. So when Saffy had fallen asleep and shifted over to the other side so that we had no physical connection, I got up from the twin bed rolls we laid together every night and walked over to Legolas who was on watch.

"If I promise not to bother your watch, can I sit up with you?" I asked him, my voice timid as though I was much younger than I actually was.

"You should be resting." He told me.

"I can't sleep." I told him simply, it was bound to start showing that I was restless every night and spent most of the time gazing up at the sky only to fall asleep and get a couple hours of sleep a night.

"You should still try, rest will certainly evade you when you are standing up." Legolas joked, he was thinking of my human nature, which caused me to sleep lying down unlike elves, who could pretty much fall asleep anywhere.

"I promise I will try to sleep in a little while, just not right now. I feel too restless." I told him.

"Alright." Legolas told me, he fell silent for a while, as I climbed up onto the rock that he sat upon. Then it seemed as though a thought struck him. "Deirdre, why are your ears pointed?"

"Because I am secretly an elf." I teased him.

The look on his face was highly entertaining, it was a look of pure amusement. He nodded for me to continue what I was saying.

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. My right ear has always been pointed, but when I woke up here my left one matched it. I'm not going to complain." I said. "Why do you ask?"

"There were rumors going around that you were a type of elf from a different world." Legolas informed me, which caused me to face mass confusion.

"People actually think I'm an elf?" I questioned.

"Is that so hard to believe?" He answered my question with one of his own, I contemplated what he asked for a moment.

"I would think so. I am far from the idea of elves that I generally have. I mean, I'm not graceful. I'm far too plump. Physically, I am about as far from an elf as you can get." I replied.

"That is why people believe that you are a different kind of elf." Was his reply.

"To be honest, where I'm from, elves only exist in stories and dreams." I told him, thinking about the mythology of elves and how they almost entirely showed up in fiction.

"What a strange place you come from. What is it like?" Legolas asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Well, there is a lot of technology. I'm grateful when it comes to this war here, people will be cut down one by one. Not murdered in their sleep from miles away." I said, thinking about the bombs that were so prevalent in war.

"Is there much war in your world?" he asked, for the first time accepting it as another world.

"Not as much now as there used to be. We had two world conflicts in my world, which claimed so many lives. They were actually called World wars. My grandfather fought in the second. Now the country where I live, I mean lived, is at war in a country far away." I said sadly, thinking about the aftermath of conflicts and the death toll caused by them.

"It sounds rather dark." He replied.

"Oh, I guess you shouldn't really be talking to me about it. I have always had a very pessimistic view on the world. But there is beauty. For instance, the ocean is amazing. To the south of where I live the water turns gold in the sunlight because of a mineral in the water. And the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, is one of the most lovely sounds I can think of. The ocean is always icy and freezes my skin, and sometimes I'm afraid of the creatures that are underneath the surface. But there is nothing like being in the water and feeling the cold embrace of the salty water." I said dreamily, I was thinking of how it felt to play in the cool waters of the ocean and the pull I felt to the ocean that made me never want to see.

"You sound like an elf ready to set sail to the west." He told me, I could hear the slight amusement in his voice. But there was something sadder in his voice too, as though the idea of sailing to the west saddened him.

"Well, the ocean has always been a weakness of mine. Once I'm at the beach, I never want to leave." I said smiling.

"Are you sure that you're not an elf?" he asked me almost teasingly.

"Well, I seriously doubt it." I said, a yawn escaping right afterwards.

"You are tired." He stated, noticing my yawn.

"I guess I am." Was my somewhat sleepy response. "Thank you for talking with me. I'll see you in the morning."

"Sleep well, edhelai talien." Legolas said.

***Legolas POV***

Deirdre was restless once again. I was on watch for the fellowship again tonight, and from my place on the nearby rocks, I could hear her tossing and turning restlessly. Occasionally, I would glance over and look at the girl trying to sleep. It seemed to take her longer to rest every night, while Saffron it took less and less time every night. But every night Deirdre laid patiently with her friend, not rising, making sure not to abandon her friend who more often than not lay on her in her sleep. But tonight, as Deirdre was staring up at the stars, Saffron rolled over away from Deirdre and broke contact. After a few moments, Deirdre rose from the sleeping roll, careful not to awaken her friend. I glanced away returning my attention to the watch, but it was not to be.

Deirdre walked over to me and leaned against the large rock that I was sitting on. I looked down at her and kept my face as calm as I could. She wore very little, her corset was loose on her and a thin nightdress covered her body. It was easy to see her curvy outline through the sheer fabric.

"If I promise not to bother your watch, can I sit up with you?" she asked me, her voice coming out like that of a scared child afraid of her elder's refusal of something she wanted.

"You should be resting." I said, looking away from her again and scanning the area for a threat as an excuse not to stare at her rather exposed breasts.

As much as I didn't need to focus my entire attention on keeping watch, I liked to focus most of my attention so that nothing surprised me. Once scanning the immediate area, I looked back down at Deirdre. She was looking up at me hopefully, a rather adorable look on her face.

"I can't sleep." She said, quietly. As though being unable to sleep was something to be ashamed of.

"You should still try, rest will certainly evade you when you are standing up." I stated, my voice held a hint of teasing in it.

She needed to lay down or at least sit in order to fall asleep. Being able to sleep standing up without falling down was a talent that the elves had. As well as sleeping with our eyes open.

"I promise I will try to sleep in a little while, just not right now. I feel too restless." She said, it seemed as though she really wanted to stay up for a little while longer. I guess I was at least better company than her sleeping friend.

"Alright." I consented.

A smile arose on her face when I said this, and she climbed up onto the rock that I sat upon. Her dress shifted down slightly more in the front when she did this, exposing more of the delicate flesh of her breast. Watch at least had a good view tonight, I thought idly to myself. I looked up at her face once more when she was seated beside me. The point of her ear was sticking out from underneath her hair. My curiosity was renewed of what the girl was, she had the appearance of an elf in some aspects, but was so entirely human in others.

"Deirdre, why are your ears pointed?" I asked, allowing my curiosity to leak through and get the best of me.

She looked up at me with a smile on her face. Her lips were a little chapped from the journey at there was evidence that she chewed on her lip often, but the bright red color that they naturally were was lovely.

"Because, I am secretly an elf." She told me, sounding as though it was a secret that she shared with only me.

I was highly amused by what she was saying, I knew she was joking. But there was a part of me that thought she was speaking the truth, even if she didn't know it. There was just something so elven about her. I let my emotions slip through showing her my amusement, then nodded my head so that she would continue.

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. My right ear has always been pointed," She gingerly brushed her finger along the point of her right ear subconsciously. "but when I woke up here my left ear matched it. I'm not going to complain. Why do you ask?"

The curious expression on her face was endearing, she looked innocent and intrigued. I was a little taller than her so she tilted her head up at me when she questioned me.

"There were rumors going around that you were a type of elf from another world." I told her, recalling the gossip that had been going around Rivendell. While she was certainly not an elf from any of the elven realms in Middle Earth, she had the air of elvish grace about her.

Her brow furrowed as I told her this and her bottom lip tucked in between her teeth as she contemplated what I told her. There was something incredibly expressive in her face, her eyebrows especially portrayed her thoughts to the world. Her face was just so expressive that when she talked her whole face worked to demonstrate what she was saying. When she got excited it was like someone flicked a switch for smiles and energy.

"People actually think I'm an elf?" she asked me, seeming shocked that people could think this.

"Is that so hard to believe?" I questioned her, wanting to know her thoughts on what had been happening.

"I would think so. I am far from the idea of elves that I generally have. I mean, I'm not graceful. I'm far too plump. Physically, I am about as far from an elf as you can get." She reasoned, she analyzed only her physical appearance when it came to comparing herself to an elf.

True her hair was colored differently for an elf and her body was more curvaceous than most anyone I had ever seen. But she had a beauty about her that was natural and her energy easily made up for the problems with grace. I had to hide a smile when I thought about her managing to knock the arrow into her face, that definitely proved that she was not the most graceful being. But to me she seemed as though she was an elf with the way she carried herself.

"That is why people believe that you are a different type of elf." I told her, she may not have been like the elves that our world had, but there was definitely something un-human about her.

"To be honest, where I'm from, elves only exist in stories and dreams." She said, her mind beginning to wander as she said this, as though she was thinking about the stories she had read about elves.

Thinking about a world without elves was strange for me, my very being would not exist in her world and yet here I was. It seemed natural to have the races intermingling, but in her world would it be so strange to have other races mixing with the humans.

"What a strange place you come from. What is it like?" I was curious once more, what sort of place was she from.

"Well, there is a lot of technology. I'm grateful when it comes to this war here, people will be cut down one by one. Not murdered in their sleep from miles away." She said, her voice picked up a sad tone, undoubtedly at the thought of people dying in such a manner.

"Is there much war in your world?" I asked, curious as to how these greater methods of killing people affected the overall war in her world.

"Not as much now as there used to be. We had two world conflicts in my world, which claimed so many lives. They were actually called World wars. My grandfather fought in the second. Now, the country where I live, I mean lived, is at war in a country far away." Her voice was still sad when she spoke again, it was obvious that the war saddened her.

"It sounds rather dark." I stated, thinking about the type of great conflicts that she was speaking about. Like what this quest may come down to should we fail to destroy the Ring.

The way that she said lived made me wonder about how she came to be in Middle Earth. It was obviously something that she hadn't expected, there was a sense of sadness still in her tone when she had to make the correction, as though she wasn't really ready to leave her world.

"Oh, I guess you shouldn't really be talking to me about it. I have always had a very pessimistic view on the world. But there is beauty. For instance, the ocean is amazing. To the south of where I live the water turns gold in the sunlight because of a mineral in the water. And the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, is one of the most lovely sounds I can think of. The ocean is always icy and freezes my skin, and sometimes I'm afraid of the creatures that are underneath the surface. But there is nothing like being in the water and feeling the cold embrace of the salty water." She said with a longing in her voice.

It greatly reminded me of the elves who returned to the west. How they dreamily spoke of the ocean. Only generally, when it was elves the lure wasn't the ocean that called to them. Instead it was the call of the undying lands causing them to dream of returning. But for Deirdre, the ocean was the lure as though it was her favorite drink, something that she always had a longing for even when she was far away. There was a piece of her that would always belong to the sea. It was probably a good thing that she wasn't an elf, she would have set sail many years ago had she the choice.

"You sound like an elf ready to set sail to the west." I told her, I let the amusement seep into my tone.

But the thought of elves sailing back to the undying lands saddened me, so many friends had been lost. Returning to the west, unable to remain here anymore. Deirdre definitely seemed the type to sail into the west. Though she would possibly miss the boat because her focus on the water would be stronger than her desire to leave.

"Well, the ocean has always been a weakness of mine. Once I'm at the beach, I never want to leave." She told me, still sounding like she was dreaming about the ocean and the feel of water around her.

"Are you sure that you're not an elf?" I asked her teasingly.

"Well, I seriously doubt it." She said, yawning just after she finished her sentence.

"You are tired." I stated, smiling a little at the fact that she had finally achieved her goal of becoming tired. Even though she had been so excited to stay up and talk with me, I knew that she would be tired soon.

"I guess I am." She said, another yawn coming out of her mouth. Her voice was starting to give away that she was tired. "Thank you for talking with me. I'll see you in the morning."

She hopped down off of the rock that we sat upon, I looked down at her affectionately. She truly was endearing, how she seemed so cute when she was tired, yet how passionate she spoke about the things that she loved.

"Sleep well, edhelai talien." I told her. (Little elf princess)

She walked back to her bed roll and climbed under the blanket, curling back up with her friend. I smiled a little at the sight. Thinking how sweet the young girl looked, innocent in her sleep.

I cut off my train of thought there, I had been letting my mind get ahead of itself. She was mortal and I was elf-kind. There was no hope for a relationship to come from this. I had to think of my people, think of my father. There was rumor that the only reason my father had not faded with the death of my mother was because of me. Now if I were to lose my life because of some mortal girl who was lovely to look at, what would that do to my father. I ought not to be thinking of romance anyway, after all we were on a quest that could easily claim all our lives. It would be foolish to think of her in anyway but as a friend and traveling companion.

As I stayed on my watch, as hard as I tried to stop it, my mind returned to the subject of a mortal girl who seemed to have the soul of an elf.

***End Chapter 7***

Mkays, there it is. Read and Review. XD


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, so there was a little confusion on the pronunciation of Deirdre, so I figured that I would clear that up. The most common pronunciation phonetically is Dear-drah.

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 8***

***Deirdre's POV***

When I awoke that morning, I felt surprisingly good. Last night after I spoke with Legolas I slept fine. Maybe all I need to do in order to fall asleep is to stay up and chat with the person on watch. That should do the trick. I stretched my arms out and popped my back. I forgot about my loosened corset as I arched my back to awaken fully. I looked beside me and saw that Saffy was lying awake next to me.

"Saffy?" I questioned, intending to get her to re-lace my corset.

"Yeah, yeah. Turn around." She said, used to what I asked every morning.

So I complied and turned around so that she could lace up my corset. Once it was done, I turned around and motioned for her to turn so I could lace hers as well. She complied with my unspoken direction. I laced up her corset and tied it off nicely. I grabbed a dress from my pack, I had made sure to pack about three dresses as well as the thin nightgown that I was currently wearing, so once I had grabbed the dress I rose from my bedroll and moved to change behind a rock. However, as I walked off I was stopped by Gandalf's voice.

"Deirdre, where are you going?" Gandalf asked, I guess he missed most every morning when I disappeared to change. Then again today I wasn't dragging Saffy around behind me.

"I was thinking I would change into a real dress. Or I could just wander around in practically nothing like now, start a new fashion, you know?" I joked, not wanting to be disrupted before I had real clothing on. Mornings weren't exactly my favorite time of the day.

"Alright, stay close." Gandalf told me, turning away once he had fulfilled his obligation of checking to see if I wandered off.

I moved behind the rock formation that ironically had been where Legolas had kept watch from last night, and where I had sat and talked until I was tired. It only took me a minute or so to change, though I still had to walk back over to my bedroll barefoot because I hadn't grabbed my boots. Apparently, I wasn't paying a lot of attention to what was happening around me, because suddenly there were arms around my waist and a hand clapped over my mouth.

I jumped and tried to scream only to hear laughing from behind me, I twisted around in my captor's arms, looking behind me to find that it was Saffy who had snuck up behind me.

"Gotcha." She said, as she let go of me, to which I rolled my eyes.

"Ha, ha. Very funny." I said flatly, as I moved back over to my bedroll and away from Saffy.

"I love you." She called out at me, peering over the rock to see me walking away and slipping my boots on.

"Yeah yeah, sure whatever." I said monotonly, I figured if she was going to tease me then I was going to do it right back to her.

As I was rolling up my bedroll, Saffy came up to me and began rolling up her bedroll as well.

"You love me and you know it." She said, while she continued to work.

"Only because I like sleeping with you." I said with a smile. "I like having the body heat."

At this most of the members of the fellowship were staring over at us. I understood this would happen, as it was something that happened many times before. Whenever we so much as hinted at sleeping together, even when it was entirely innocent, it got the attention of males. Gandalf was one of the few who took it in stride, over the faces of most everyone else was shock at what I had said.

"Remind me why I love you again?" she said, sounding as though she really couldn't come up with a decent reason.

"Cause you like my tits?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I guess that's as good a reason as any." She said, an amused smile on her face.

We both laughed and finished packing up our things. Once my bedroll was completely packed, I fastened my swords around my waist and my bow and quiver on my back.

At midday day when we stopped for lunch, we were at a familiar rocky outcropping. Merry and Pippin were training with Boromir, while Sam was cooking lunch. I sat nearby with a pot of water, ready to douse the fire at any moment.

"Two, one, five. Good. Very good." Boromir encouraged as he sparred with Pippin, calling out the block or thrust that Pippin should be using.

"Move your feet." Aragorn called out, he was sitting nearby smoking a pipe and watching them spar.

"You look good, Pippin." Merry said, standing only a foot or so away and waiting for his turn at the fight.

"Thanks." Pippin responded cheerfully as he continued meeting Boromir's blade.

"Faster." Boromir encouraged.

I continued to watch Boromir spar with the hobbits. He was rather good with them, better than he was when he was training me and Saffy with Aragorn, though that was probably because Saffy and I both make rude comments.

"If any was to ask my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria. My cousin, Balin, would give us a royal welcome." Gimli said, his voice proud at the thought of his cousin's would be hospitality.

I hurt a little inside, knowing that Gimli's cousin was dead. Finding out for himself would be a painful thing. The guilt already started to boil up in me.

"No Gimli, I would not pass through the Moria unless I had no other choice." Gandalf replied to Gimli.

Upon hearing these words I knew that the time was close at hand for the Crebain to come flying through and that we would need to hide ourselves quickly. In preparation for this I had left my bag unpacked near Saffy, who would toss them into the bushes to cover them more quickly. While I would be dousing the fire and making sure that everyone was safely hidden away.

"Saffy." I stated, looking over to her with a look signaling that it was almost time.

She nodded her head and quickly moved, hiding our packs beneath some bushes nearby. I grabbed the pot of water and moved closer to the fire. Sam was still making lunch for everyone, frying up sausages.

"I think that's enough food for now, Sam." I told him, causing him to look confused at me.

"Come on. Good." Boromir called out.

"Aahhh!" Pippin cried out as Boromir accidently nicked his hand.

"Sorry." Boromir hastly apologizes, but not good enough for the hobbits.

Pippin kicks Boromir in the shin, causing him to cry out. Then in a rush, both the hobbits tackle Boromir with a cry "For the Shire" and start pinning him to the ground. When Aragorn, although laughing along with Boromir and the hobbits walks over to them to break up the mock fight.

"Gentleman, that's enough." Aragorn says amused, putting a hand on each other their shoulders to halt their fight.

Both the hobbits look up at Aragorn for a moment, and then pull his feet out from underneath him. Causing Aragorn to fall onto his back and the hobbits switched their target from Boromir and began jumping onto Aragorn's fallen form.

However, Aragorn manages to get the upper hand and grabs hold of Pippin's arm, switching who was dominant. I laughed as I watched. Until, I heard Sam's words that reminded me that I was supposed to be doing something.

"What is that?" Sam questioned.

While he was turned from the fire to stare at the black cloud on the horizon, I took my chance to douse the fire and began gathering things up.

"Nothing, it's just a whiff of a cloud." Gimli stated gruffly, thinking nothing of the dark cloud.

"It's moving fast… against the wind." Boromir stated, knowing that something wasn't right.

Saffy had also begun hastening around the campsite getting everyone's things out of sight and safely tucked away.

"Crebain from Dunland." Legolas called out, causing Gandalf, Boromir, Gimli, and Aragorn to pause for a second.

"Hide!" Aragorn called out to the group, causing a flurry of motion in everyone to assist what Saffy and I had been doing beforehand.

"Hurry!" Boromir shouted, making the hobbits rush around a little quicker.

"Frodo! Hurry! Take cover!" Aragorn said as he practically shoved Frodo toward rocks.

After everything was quickly put away, most of the others were already in hiding. I made another quick check around the campsite, making sure that everything was put away. Only to be grabbed about the waist and shoved under a bush. My savior's body pressing down upon me. My breathing was a little sporadic from the rapid change between standing and being pressed against the ground with someone lying on top of me. I looked up a little and noticed it was Legolas who had grabbed me and thrust me under the bush with him. Our faces only inches apart as he looked down at me as well. As much as I was enjoying the closeness of the handsome elf, whose well-built body was pressing against my intimately, I shifted beneath him. His face being so close to mine and my needing to breathe a little heavier was beginning to get to me. The air felt too warm, making it feel as though it stuck going down my throat into my lungs. I needed a little more space than this, and since he wasn't too keen on moving for fear of drawing the attention of the Crebain, I had to roll my head so that I was facing the side.

I took a deep breath of the cool, fresh air, finally, finding my own oxygen source that wasn't being used by the elf who was laying on me. However, my deep breath caused my body to rise and meet with Legolas' chest. After a few minutes, the Crebain have completely passed over our campsite and had continued on. I looked up at Legolas, to see him quickly give a slight smile as though apologetic and climb out from under the bush. When he climbed off of me, the air felt especially cold where he had touched me.

After a moment of catching my breath, for it was easier without having Legolas laying on top of my chest. I climbed out from under the bush, looking up I saw that many members of the fellowship were already out of their hiding spots. I looked over at Saffy to see her smiling at me like something was actually meant by my climbing out of the same bush as Legolas.

"Spies of Saruman. The passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras." Gandalf informed, spitting out what the Crebain were.

Gandalf looked to the mountain tops, and I couldn't help but follow his gaze. Looking at the mountains, I was not looking forward to freezing my butt off pointlessly. But there really wasn't that many options and it would be best to go along with Gandalf's idea.

By the time that we made it to the snow, Saffy had finally decided to tease me about being under the same bush as Legolas.

"So?" she said, in her tell me voice.

"So." I replied, my tone flat meant not to show any response.

"You and Legolas?" she asked me.

"I was making sure that our campsite had been completely cleaned up, and I guess I was taking too long. So he pulled my under the brush to make sure that the enemy didn't see me." I said, stating simply what had happened.

"Is that all?" She asked, her tone unbelieving. She still held that hint of teasing in her voice, she was trying to prod me for more information.

"Yes, Saffy. That's all." I said, but in my head I was thinking about the way that he was laying on top of me, with one of each of our legs between the others.

"I don't believe you." She said with a smile.

It was about now that I realized about how much snow was around us, and I got an idea. I stooped down and grabbed a handful of snow. Then reached my hand around to Saffy's mouth holding the snow over it.

"Does this smell like chloroform to you?" I asked, keeping my hand over her mouth as she held her breath. "Just go to sleep."

When I pulled my hand away, Saffy reached down into the snow and grabbed herself a handful. Packing it quickly she threw it straight into my face. I wiped the snow away then reached down and threw a snowball at the back of Pippin's head. Which caused him to join in, it didn't take long for all the fellowship, besides Gandalf, to be involved in a snowball war. I decided that Legolas' hair was too perfect today, and that it wasn't fair that he always looked in pristine condition when everyone else was covered in dirt and grime. So I jumped onto his back and forced him facedown into the snow. It would make up for being able to walk on it later. With his face down into the snow, he reached his arm around him and grabbed me by the waist. Causing me to squeak, I had a ticklish spot on either side of my waists, it was one of many. With that he flipped over so that I was lying on the snow with him on his back on top of me. He turned around and pinned my arms to either side of my head.

"Do you enjoy being on top?" I teased, my voice coming out a little breathless from the rapid position change.

"It means you are lying down in the snow instead of me." Legolas said, a smirk on his face as he pressed down on me.

I smirked right back at him, bringing my legs around to wrap around his waist. This caught him off guard, as this position would look like we were having sex to people looking. But I smiled and shifted our position, using the butterfly technique that my friends had taught me and that I had only mastered shortly before I woke up in middle earth. It left me once again pinning Legolas, only this time I was straddling his waist, holding his arms down in the same manner that he had just held mine.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying about lying down in the snow?" I asked, sarcastic as my voice came out almost sweet and innocent.

"We need to keep moving." Gandalf's voice stated, looking down at the compromising position that we were currently.

"But if you are too busy, then you can just catch up later." Saffy interjected laughing as she did.

"Nope. I'm done." I said brightly, as I lifted my body from Legolas releasing my grip on his wrists.

I was actually shocked that I had managed to hold him in place for so long, I was sure that he had much greater upper body strength than I did. After all, I was rather weak considering that Saffy could easily pin me down. I offered Legolas a hand up, which he surprisingly took. It was good to know that he didn't have problems with his pride being damaged by a girl. Though it was starting to make me think that he may have been letting me hold him in that position, I couldn't think of why however.

We hiked up the mountain, it was freezing cold and I was losing feeling in my feet, hands, and face. Slowly my ass was joining the list of body parts that were numbing. As I was walking I heard the sounds of someone falling backwards downhill in the snow. I turned around and there was Frodo doing what could have been backward somersaults.

"Ungh." Was the sound coming from Frodo's mouth as he crashed down the mountain, landing on his face in the snow.

"Frodo!" Aragorn called out, rushing to the hobbits side.

I also moved to help Frodo, dusting some of the snow off of his cloak and head. His eyes were trained on the Ring that Boromir had picked up.

"Boromir." Aragorn spoke quietly, to the man whose attention was fixated entirely upon the golden ring before him.

"It is a strange fate we should suffer so much fear and doubt… over such a small thing." Boromir spoke completely absorbed in his thoughts of the ring.

"Boromir." Aragorn stated, more harshly intended to finally break Boromir's concentration on the ring. "Give the ring to Frodo."

Boromir looked down the mountain at us, he was only about ten feet away. His eyes went to Frodo, who had outstretched his hand to take the ring back from the man. But my eyes drifted to Aragorn's hand, which now grasped the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it should the need arise. Boromir slowly walked down with the chain of the ring firmly in his grasp. He offered the ring to Frodo, who hastily took it back and hung it around his neck.

"As you wish." Was Boromir's only response, his eyes drifting from Frodo for a moment to look at me, then quickly back down at the hobbit before him, then as though to himself for reassurance. "I care not."

It was a long trek up the mountain, we only broke for camp once at nightfall. We all huddled together so that the warmth of the group could keep everyone safe and somewhat warm. Both Saffy and I didn't change into our night garments as we had gotten used to doing. In the morning we took up our walk once more, and the snow grew deeper and deeper as we walked higher up the mountain. As we walked across the deeper snow, I realized something. I didn't sink into the snow as the others did, but walked on top like Legolas. Obviously this confused me, I was no elf, yet I could walk above the snow without sinking as was a characteristic of the elves. As we walked up the mountain, I took Frodo into my arms. Instead of Aragorn holding onto him, I carried him above the snow. With the added weight, I sunk into the snow a little but only up to my knees, not the same waist deep frost the others faced. I had Frodo on my hip as though he was a child, and I thanked god and my heredity that I had been blessed with what we called wide child-bearing hips. Although, I got tired much faster in this manner, it kept Frodo from facing as much cold. He even seemed warmer than the other hobbits, as his feet only sunk a little into the snow.

I watched as Legolas walked further toward the edge of the mountain path as a great storm raged. The storm was far from natural, as at the root of the mountains vengeance, were the words of Saruman.

"There is a fell voice upon the air." Legolas shouted over the wind, his words coming back to us at a bit of a delay.

"Saruman." I breathed the name at the same time that Gandalf announced it to the group.

After checking Sam, who he was carrying, Aragorn looked up at Gandalf. A look of worry across his face, the hobbits were freezing in the cold weather.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!" Aragorn called up to Gandalf, who had a look of perseverance. He didn't want to turn back, other than the snow and the chance that the hobbits would lose their toes, it was one of the safer routes.

"No!" Gandalf yelled back then turning to face away from the fellowship he began speaking in a different language. Telling the mountain to sleep and hold its wrath.

When Gandalf began chanting I moved up against the side of the mountain, ensuring that when the time came neither Frodo nor I would fall from the cliff. Saffy had the same idea, though she wasn't carrying a hobbit. The only reason it made any sense for me to carry Frodo was that I could walk above the snow. So since neither Saffy and I had the best arm strength compared to the male fighters, they took the brunt of the halflings and I carried Frodo so that he would stay out of the snow the most. It was in hopes that we would ease the burden of carrying the Ring, though I'm not sure how much good it did.

Saffy grabbed my hand and wrapped her other arm around both Frodo and I. We would need the body heat when the snow came cascading down upon us. That is exactly what happened next, the mountain began to shake and everyone scurried in as close to the mountain as possible. The avalanche of snow crashed upon us, knocking my down deep beneath its depths. I could feel Saffy and Frodo holding onto me, but I couldn't find the strength to stand up. Though the snow froze down into my bones and stole away the heat, the darkness of the snow upon me felt almost comforting. I lost hold of Saffy as I assume she surfaced, the Frodo disappeared up to the sky along with her. But the feeling of the snow and the lack of oxygen made me feel tired. I probably shouldn't have been carrying Frodo, but I wanted to help. And now it seemed as though I had no energy to even find my way out of the snow.

Just as I was beginning to give into the pressure of the snow and planning on falling into the darkness of sleep. Hands grabbed my side, burning heat sinking into my skin where they touched me, which left the strangest sensation. My body was freezing, except where these hands made contact with my waist and began pulling me up through the snow. I felt the pressure of snow lessen as I was slowly pulled to the surface. I opened my eyes when I felt the air hit me, instead of the crushing snow, and damn was it bright. I mean it was like walking out of a completely black room into the light of high noon in the middle of summer bright. That was how shocking the air was. Looking up I was met with the azure blue eyes of Legolas. My lips quivered as my teeth chattered from the cold. He brought me tight into his body, sharing some of his body heat with me. My chattering subsided shortly and I moved back over to Saffy and Frodo, who embraced me quickly. I held them both close to me as I enjoyed the heat they provided for me.

"We must get off the mountain. Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city." Boromir interjected offering his best suggestion. It made sense for him to state this option, his geographical knowledge would be centered around where he lived.

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard." Aragorn returned, not wanting to risk going so close to the man who was currently trying to kill us.

"If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria." Gimli put in his part, making the same suggestion that he had been pushing for the past few days.

"Let the Ring-bearer decide." Gandalf said, looking at Frodo who had shifted in my arms and I was once again holding so that he could save some of his body heat, and so that I could gain some from him as well.

"We cannot stay here, it will be the death of the hobbits." Boromir cried out, as he looked at the faces of the frozen hobbits on either side of him.

They indeed looked half-frozen to death, I glanced down at Frodo. He didn't look that much better but with both Saffy and I warming him, it was helping his complexion a little.

"Frodo?" Gandalf enquired of the hobbit in my arms.

Frodo looked amongst us and at his fellow hobbits, whose teeth chattered audibly. He nestled a little more into my side, I leaned into Saffy who wrapped her arms around the both of us, effectively sandwiching Frodo.

"We will go through the mines of Moria." He announced, I could feel his body shaking from the cold. His decision would ensure some warmth, at least more than what we currently were facing.

"So be it." Gandalf said sadly.

We began moving back down the mountain as a group, I walked above the snow as best as possible, again with Frodo in my arms. I brought my cloak around to cover both of us in it, making the body heat inside trapped between the two of us.

We made good speed back down the mountain, we almost made it to the base of the mountain before darkness set in. So we continued walking down until there was no longer snow beneath our feet and set up camp, in the last traces of daylight.

That night, I slept soundly from the second that I lay down on my bedroll. It seemed that the exertion of carrying Frodo until we found where the snow wasn't as deep had exhausted me. That as well as the fact that I was finally getting warm, as I wrapped my arms around Saffy and she did the same I fell into a deep sleep.

***End Chapter 8***

Alright, there it is. Please Read and Review.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: As usual, I own nothing.

***Chapter 9***

***Deirdre's POV***

I stood on a beach, the waves crashing against the shore was music to my ears. I looked down and was wearing the same dress and cloak that I had been wearing when I fell asleep. This greatly confused me, as there was no reason I should be wearing my dress in a dream. I think my imagination was just being lazy. But my thoughts of clothing didn't matter for long, as I stripped down to just my corset and undergarments. Then I ran into the waves, the water was cold like it always was. I smiled as the first icy wave struck my body. There was something incredibly exhilarating about the water hitting my skin. I kept walking forward until the waves crashed against my collarbone, even when I was jumping. I looked back at the shore, which didn't seem to awfully far away and saw that there was a man standing on the beach. So as the next wave came near me, I jumped with it and swam along with the wave, body surfing my way back. I didn't make it too far with that wave, so I kept this up until my knees skimmed the sandy bottom of the sea as I swam. Then I stood up and walked onto the beach. The man standing there was an elf, of that I was sure. Not only did he have the pointed ears of an elf, but he held the same presence that all the elves had.

"Hello." I said to the man as I walked from the ocean, I couldn't have cared less about the fact that I was dressed so scantily. This was my dream and that meant I could do what I wanted.

"Hello, Deirdre." The man replied, him knowing my name didn't shock me at all. Again, this was my dream, he should be able to know my name. Though I was mildly perturbed that I didn't know his as well..

"Who are you?" I asked innocently.

"Does it really matter?" he asked, I guess he was a little annoyed that I had asked him.

"No, I guess it really doesn't." My voice showed how happy I was, this was definitely a good dream. Not only was I at the beach, but I wasn't dying in some gruesome fashion as so many of my dreams portrayed.

"What matters instead is why I am here." He said.

"Aren't you here because you are a figment of my imagination." At this he looked disbelieving at me.

"Deirdre. I am as real as you are." He replied, however he must not have known me very well, after all my existence could be entirely fictional. I could be living in some messed up version of the Matrix or something.

"Well, that proves nothing. After all, I'm a figment of my own imagination." I told him, it was one of my favorite sayings.

"Of course you are." He told me, amused by what I had said. He smiled at me. "But for arguments sake, let's say that we both are real and exist outside of the world of dreams."

"I pretend that all the time." I said with a smile. "So why are you here?"

"I wanted to speak with you, and this seemed the simplest method to do so." He told me.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked him, curious as to what he was doing here, if in fact he was anything but my overactive imagination.

"Do you know what you are?" he asked me.

"Well, of course I do." I replied, as though it was obvious. "I'm human."

"But you possess characteristics of elves. You could walk on the snow like Legolas, and your ears are pointed. You can sing. And have an affection for the ocean beyond what is normal." He told me.

"So I'm a human that acts like an elf?" I asked him, confused as to where exactly this was going.

"Something along those lines." He said with a smile. "When you reach Lothlorien, speak with Galadriel. She may give you some knowledge on this matter."

"Alright, we shouldn't be too far from reaching Lothlorien, maybe a few weeks at the most." I said with a smile, although the idea of being that close to Lothlorien made me squirm a little inside.

"I will return to your dreams to speak with you again." He told me. "Once you have found some answers."

Once the elf had left, the rest of my dream was spent playing in the ocean. When I woke in the morning I felt fantastic. I dressed rather quickly and in my bright mood even helped Sam prepare breakfast.

We had been walking for days now, trying to get to the entrance to Moria. Luckily we found a body of water before we reached Moria, which meant that Saffy and I could bathe. However, since that night on the mountain when I dreamt of the elf and the beach, my sleep came harder every night. I would stay up and talk with whoever was on watch that night, and I had even talked my way into getting to keep watch once a week. While it wasn't as often as everyone else, it was something. Staying up at night and talking to Boromir was the most awkward of all my late night conversations. During the day, Saffy and I would tease and flirt with him as a way to mess with his head. But at night, it was awkward between the two of us. Some nights I would stay on the other side of camp, keeping my own watch of sorts before retiring.

Finally, we reached the walls of Moria, the wall itself was rather impressive, it rose so high into the sky that it was eaten by mist. Gimli was of course enthralled at the sight, it meant that he was getting closer and closer to what he thought would be a grand reception.

"The walls of Moria." Gimli stated, looking up at the walls, his voice full of reverence.

Gandalf walked along the wall trying to find the door in.

"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli informed us.

We all moved along the wall, tapping and trying to find the doorway into Moria. It was sure to be an amusing sight, 11 travelers tapping against the side of a cliff as though searching for something.

"Yes, Gimli, their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten." Gandalf said, almost making a dig at Gimli, though probably not entirely meaning to.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas says, causing Gimli to grumble and me to laugh.

We walk along the side of the cliff, as Frodo accidently takes a step into the pool beside us. He gasps as he pulls his foot out of the water, shocked that he had walked into the water. I glanced back up at Gandalf as he laid his hand on a segment of cliff between two of the trees.

"Now… let's see… Ithildin." Gandalf said, causing the faint blue lines to begin appearing beneath his hands. "It mirrors only starlight…and moonlight."

The moon began to appear from beneath the dark clouds that had previously blocked the silvery rays of the moon. But once the moonlight hit the stone, the blue lines became brighter and showed the outline of a doorway.

Gandalf's lips moved as he read the words on the door and translated them in his mind. He stared at the door for a moment longer.

"It reads, 'The Doors of Durin- Lord of Moria. Speak friend, and enter." Gandalf told the fellowship, translating the words for us.

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked, thinking about how to get into Moria.

"Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open." Gandalf explained.

I glanced over to Saffy who stood next to me. I could hardly contain the laugh that was rising inside me. Gandalf was definitely overcomplicating things.

"Annon Edhellen, edro hi ammen." Gandalf told the wall, asking the elf door to open to him.

The door did nothing. At which point I clasped a hand over my mouth to prevent any sound from coming out. Gandalf just looked frustrated, but put his staff back against the door.

"Fennas Nogothrim, lasto beth lammen."Gandalf tried again, giving his plea this time to the dwarves.

"Nothing's happening." Pippin observed, which finally broke me. I let out a rather quiet giggle.

Gandalf gave Pippin an annoyed look. Then turned back to the doors and pushed against them, as though that would open the doors.

"I once knew every spell in the tongues of Elf, Men, and Orcs." Gandalf states annoyed that the door won't open for him.

"But you forgot them after a test?" I asked. "Yeah, that happens to me all the time. I used to be able to name every President of the US in order, the years that they served in office, and what party they belonged to. But after the test, Poof, the knowledge up and left."

This earned me an annoyed look from Gandalf, who was probably just redirecting his annoyance from himself.

"What are you going to do then?" Pippin asked Gandalf, not noticing just how foul of a mood Gandalf was in at that moment.

"Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took. And if that does not shatter them, and I am allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words." Gandalf replied angrily, causing Pippin to quickly fall quiet.

"Ando Eldarinwa…a lasta quettanya, Fenda Casarinwa…" Gandalf continues to try, at this point it was just getting to be a little sad.

I glanced over at Aragorn from the spot where I was sitting between Saffy and Frodo. He was unhitching Bill, the ponies, bridle and readying the pony to be sent home.

"The mines are no place for a pony. Even one so brave as Bill." Aragorn explains to the saddened Sam.

"Buh-bye, Bill." Sam says sadly to the pony.

"Go on, Bill, go on. Don't worry Sam, he knows the way home." Aragorn reassured Sam, as Bill began walking back the way that we had come and left us with the sound of his trotting over the stone.

"Do you think we should tell him?" Saffy asked me.

"I am getting awfully bored just sitting here. But the rest is nice after a long day of walking." I replied, Saffy nodded her head in agreement. "Maybe we should let Gandalf decide if we tell him or not."

"Sounds good." She answered.

"Gandalf. Saffy and I were wondering. Do you want us to tell you how to get into the Mines? Or would you prefer to continue thinking about it?" I asked him.

"You two know how to get into the Mines and haven't said anything before?" I heard Boromir's incredulous voice asking.

"No one asked." Was my simple response. "If you like we could just give clues." I suggested turning back to Gandalf.

Just then Aragorn's voice cut through as well as the sound of rocks being thrown into the pond. Shit. Was the main thought running through my head, how long has he been doing that?

"Do not disturb the water." Aragorn told Merry and Pippin firmly, causing both of them to drop the stones that they were holding.

"This is hopeless." Gandalf groaned. "What are your clues?"

"It's a word in the elvish language." I started.

"And you are overthinking it with the password thing." Saffy chirped in.

"And to find the answer you need to have a talent like Bilbo did when he stole the Ring away from Gollum." I said, thinking of the story I had read so many times.

Frodo was the first to catch on. His face lit up a little as he figured out what we were implying.

"It's a riddle." He declared, causing a smile to appear on both Saffy and I's faces. "Speak 'friend' and enter. What's the elvish word for friend?"

"Mellon…" Gandalf and I answered at the same time.

The doors slowly opened to us as the word was uttered, causing the fellowship to move forward into the dark chamber that was the entry hall of Moria. Gandalf pulled a crystal out of his robes and placed it on the top of his staff, it lit up and light pooled around us. My heart began to race a little, I made sure to stay toward the back of the group, leaving Saffy more toward the front.

"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, and ripe meat off the bone. This my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin." Gimli announced, excited to be back in what he thought of as civilization.

The fear of what lie waiting in Moria for us began to rise. But the more immediate fear was of what was waiting right outside of the entrance of Moria. The light from Gandalf's staff revealing dark forms on the ground around the room.

"And they call it a Mine! A Mine!" Gimli proclaims, proud of this.

"This is no mine, it's a tomb." Boromir remarks, looking at the bodies around us.

Gandalf's light shows to us all the dark, destroyed form of the bodies with arrows protruding from them. The scent of the dead, rotting corpses pervades the air and fills it with the scent of decay. Revulsion fills me, but I know that soon enough I will be forced to get used to the odor.

Gimli's cries of despair are heart-wrenching as he takes in the sight of the massacre of his people. I take another step back, ensuring that I am the closest to the lake. As Legolas pulls an arrow from one of the lifeless Dwarf bodies, and he quickly examines the blood-stained weapon.

"Orcs!" he spits out, disgusted at his findings and throws the arrow away from himself and the fellowship.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We never should have come here! Now get out! Get out!" Boromir shouts, making everyone start to retreat to the door.

I am in the lead as I begin my hasty retreat from the Mines, Frodo is very near to me. I try and move so that he isn't grabbed by the creature and instead I will be its target. He will be so damaged by the end of his journey, what little I can do to alleviate the pain I am more than willing to do.

Something slimy wraps around my ankle and as I begin to look down I feel the pull, as I am yanked away from my friends. A cry of shock escapes my mouth. Suddenly, the world is not as it should be. Everything is upside down and changing perspective rapidly, I scream to avoid the nausea. A trick I learned when I rode a big roller coaster with a loop for the first time, keep your eyes open and scream your head off. It makes you feel so much better. So I kept my eyes open as screams issued forth from my mouth. A flash of another person being lifted into the air upset me. Frodo was not supposed to get grabbed, I was trying to protect him from this. As my anger grew I pulled one of my swords from its scabbard. The first tentacle that came into reach I sliced at. Causing the octopus/squid/thing to fling me around even more sporadically, the dizziness factor was getting very high at this point. There was a moment when the tentacle stopped thrashing and stilled, but it was only for a moment. I began falling as apparently, the tentacle was no longer attached to the creature. I crashed into the water and my mouth, having been open from screaming, began filling with water. Hands grabbed at me and pulled me out from under the water. As soon as air was available I began coughing out the water that had begun to fill my lungs. This caused me to be picked up and carried back into Moria, my hand still desperately clinging to my blade as I coughed and sputtered.

We managed to get inside Moria, just as the Wotcher, as I believe it is called, smashed the entrance causing it to crumble and lock us in. I was placed down on the ground and began spitting out the remainder of the water that I had coughed up. When I looked up, I saw Legolas leaning down next to me, his hand on my shoulder as I had coughed. I smiled to show my gratitude as Gandalf began speaking.

"We now have but one choice." Gandalf spoke, almost sad and a little worried. "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs, in the deep places of the world. Quietly now. It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence go unnoticed.

Boy, did he say it. The thought of our upcoming encounter with the Balrog was not something I was looking forward to. Sure, fire was cool and it was definitely easy for me to be a pyro, but it would take a morbid and sadistic person to be looking forward to the Balrog.

We trekked through Moria, it was a long quiet walk. No one dared to speak too much, for fear that the orcs or 'fouler things' as Gandalf had put it would find us. For me, I was highly concerned with climbing the stairs, in a dress, without railings. This did not bode well at all.

On the second or third day that we were in Moria, there was little to no way to tell time, I only knew it was a four day walk. I gazed in wonder at the silvery-veins streaking through the stone on the sides of the cavern, it was a beautiful sight to look upon. Gandalf rested his hand upon a rock nearby that had the same silvery-veins running through.

"The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels…" Gandalf stated. "but in mithril."

Gandalf moved his staff so that the light fell upon the sides of the cavern and below us. There was abandoned mining equipment strewn about the cavern below us, it was obvious that the equipment hadn't been used in a long time. But the mass amount of tools and scaffoldings showed just how important mining was to the Dwarves, especially those of Moria.

"Bilbo had a shirt of Mithril that Thorin gave him." Gandalf stated, remembering the journey from those years ago.

"Oh, that was a kingly gift." Gimli exclaimed.

"Yes! I never told him, but it's worth is greater than the value of the shire." Gandalf informed us, amused at this.

"Sometimes it's good to be the burglar." I said, changing the line that its 'good to be the king' for my own use.

After a few minor mishaps of lost footing, we arrived on another platform which veers in three different directions. At this point we stop.

"I have no memory of this place." Gandalf states, trying to remember which way was correct.

We all took our various seats, Saffy and I moved to sit by Merry and Pippin who began whispering amongst themselves.

"Are we lost?" Pippin asks.

"No." Merry automatically responds.

"I think we are." Pippin argues.

"Shhh! Gandalf is thinking." Sam shushes them, hoping that maybe Gandalf will be able to think better without Pippin and Merry talking.

"Merry?" Pippin asks, full of questions today.

"What?" Merry asks exasperated.

"I'm hungry." He replies, causing me to roll my eyes and give a soft laugh.

Frodo who had been gazing out at the cavern below must have seen Gollum, as his eyes widened a little and he moved over to Gandalf. I rose and moved likewise over to them, taking a peek at the poor creature who was tempted by the Ring. Sure he was a good reason to despise the ring and it kept me from truly desiring the ring, but he was such a sad story. One of the prime examples of the Ring making good people do bad things.

"There's something down there." Frodo said, looking down once more, frightened that something was moving in so desolate a place.

"It's Gollum." Gandalf says, unsurprised that Gollum is following us.

"Gollum?" Frodo asked amazed at what Gandalf was saying.

"He's been following us for three days." Was Gandalf's response.

"He escaped the dungeons of Barad-Dur." Frodo said, sounding shocked once more.

"Escaped?" Gandalf said, turning from Gollum to look at Frodo. "Or was set loose? And now the Ring has drawn him here. He will never be rid of his need for it. He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself."

"Smeagols life is a sad story." Gandalf said, then noticing the confusion on Frodo's face explained. "Yes, Smeagol he was once called. Before the Ring found him… before it drove him mad."

"It's a pity that Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." Frodo said, his harsh words drew a sharp look from Gandalf.

I observed Gollum as he regarded the fellowship. I felt truly awful for him, there was something about Gollum that was just so relatable. That he had been good before his fall into madness, the power of the evil causing him to murder his best friend.

"Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve to die, and many that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo?" Gandalf asked.

"Gollum is a prime example of corruption." I said putting in my two cents. "Falling from a happy life to murder because of one seemingly irrelevant thing. His life is indeed a sad story, as are many others whose lives are corrupted by evil."

Frodo and Gandalf look at me, remembering that I had sat down at their feet and observed Gollum.

"Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum will have some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over." Gandalf said.

Gollum coughed out his name once more as he ducked back down into the darkness to hide.

"The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many." Gandalf finished.

"I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened." Frodo said his voice filled with sorrow.

"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you also were meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought."

Frodo seemed visibly comforted by this thought, that Gandalf had faith in him and that there was something other than just evil affecting the outcome of the world. That we weren't alone in our battle.

"Oh, it's that way." Gandalf said suddenly, looking at one of the doorways.

"He's remembered." Merry said as he rose from his seat on the stairs beside his friends.

"No, but the air does not smell so foul down here." Gandalf stated. "If in doubt, Master Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

"Knowing a hobbit, that means Merry is going to find the kitchens." I said with a smile as I thought about Merry sniffing out where the nearest food was.

We reached a more open chamber, where Gandalf began fidgeting with his staff. The light brightened a little, as he fidgeted with it more and more.

"Let me risk a little more light." As he said this, the light showed the beauty around us and the great chamber we stood in. "Behold: the great realm and Dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf."

"Now that's an eye opener make no mistake." Sam's awed voice spoke what was going through the minds of most of the fellowship.

There was great awe in the great city that we stood in, it showed the beautiful architecture that the dwarves were best at. The way that the columns were carved and how the cavern was hollowed out beautifully. The great cavern that we were in was the essence of dwarven beauty, the only rival it may find would be in the crafts that the dwarves adored.

At the end of one side of the cavern was a doorway, through which a shaft of light was visible. Gimli begins running toward the sunlight streaming in, my eyes fill with tears that will not be shed. The grief now is but a taste of what will come. Gandalf calls out to Gimli in warning that he should remain with the fellowship, but the dwarf pays no attention to the call of the Wizard. We catch up to Gimli rather quickly, and in the center of the ray of light. There is a crypt, belonging to the dwarf lord. Gimli drops down onto his knees before the crypt of his cousin.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria."Gandalf reads from the crypt. "He is dead then. It's as I feared."

Gimli cries out in his grief, and begins chanting in dwarvish. I rest my hand on his shoulder as the dwarf cries for his family and the loss of his kin. His hand reaches up and holds mine in place as he grieves, needing the little comfort that I am providing.

"We must move on. We cannot linger." I hear Legolas say to Aragorn.

No one listens to Legolas, as Gandalf pulls a tome from the hands of a skeletal corpse. He opens the tome and begins reading.

"They have taken the bridge… and the second hall." Gandalf begins, Gimli stops shaking with sobs as he listens to the fate of his kin. "We have barred the gates… but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums… drums… in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out…They are coming."

Gandalf's words are haunting as he turns the blood stained pages of the tome and the faces of the fellowship grow dark listening to the fear-riddled writing of the dead dwarves. There is a silence over the group, no one daring to break it as the words sink in, fear takes the group. The dwarves had died and there was no hope remaining for those who waited for their death to come as the orcs filled the caverns.

But, Pippin, ever curious Pippin, in his curiosity twists the arrow that is embedded in one of the dwarven corpses. As he does this the skeletal remains begin to fall backwards, into the well that is set behind it. First the head lolls back and drops down into the darkness as the body slowly follows behind.

Everyone turns to face Pippin and the source of the slight noise as we watch the corpse fall into the well. Crashing loudly against the sides of the well, the body makes loud noises as it falls down. We all cringe at each ear-splitting sound shatters the previous silence. When the last of the crashes sounds and everything falls silent, there is a moment of relief from everyone in the fellowship. Everyone but Saffy and I, who know what is coming for us.

"Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity." Gandalf growls at Pippin.

Drum beats begin. Pounding out a war beat, signaling that the orcs are coming for us. That they know we are here. Immediately, we spring into action. Frodo draws his blade just slightly, the elf made weapon turning blue as it senses the approach of orcs.

"Frodo!" Sam cries, when he sees the blade.

"Orcs!" Legolas spits out.

Boromir rushes to the door of the chamber and glances out. He pulls back just in time to avoid twin arrows to the face from the orc archers. Aragorn quickly helps him in shutting the door. Saffy and I rush forward grabbing axes from the fallen dwarves to help barricade the door against the attack coming for us. Aragorn looks at the hobbits and begins motioning them with his hands.

"Get back! You stay close to Gandalf!" Aragorn tells the hobbits who comply with his order and move closer to the wizard.

We pass the weapons to Boromir and Aragorn as Legolas joins us in gathering weapons to barricade the door. As the door is shut, Boromir turns with disbelief and worry on his face.

"They have a cavetroll." He says, obviously unhappy with this new development.

The door being decently barricaded, we move back and draw our weapons. Both Aragorn and I draw bows along with Legolas, in hopes that we can pick off some of the orcs from a distance before it comes to hand to hand combat. With a glance behind me, I see Gandalf toss his hat aside and draw his sword out to fight. Following this cue, the hobbits all pull out their blades.

"Saffy, if it comes down to it. Go and protect the hobbits. Please don't get hurt." I plead with her, knowing how she hates it when I mother her.

But I can't help the worry for my best friend. While I know that she is able to fight, there is so much in me hating the idea of her having to. She catches what I am trying to say to her and nods her head. I have always been protective of my friends, not wanting them to hurt and when they do I will console them and then go and have a conversation with whoever is the cause of the pain. I protect my friends, and while I am here in Middle Earth the chances of being hurt is ever higher than it was back home.

"Argh! Let them come, there is one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath." Gimli cries as he stands atop the tomb of his cousin readying for battle.

The door begins to shake with the pounding it receives from the orcs on the other side trying to get in. I make sure that my arrow is steady in my hands, even after all the training that I received from Legolas I was still more comfortable with a sword in my hands than with a bow. Weapons began protruding from the gaps made in the door. As soon as a sizable gap is made an arrow is loosed to it from Legolas' bow. Quickly followed by an arrow from Aragorn, my own arrow swiftly chasing after. This only happens once more as we all get one last shot in, before the doors break open. Hastily I put my bow back in its place and draw out my twin blades. The orcs rush into the room as Boromir, Saffy and myself begin moving into the swarm of orcs coming through. My first strike beheads an orc, the head falling to the ground unnoticed as more orcs begin to come toward me. The sounds of battle are all around me, my blades working as extensions from my arms. One sword blocking a blow, while the other slices into the orc attacking me. A mass of orc corpses join the previous dwarves, as I learn why Gimli calls orcs mindless.

The orcs are less important as the cave troll becomes the main opponent, most of the orcs who rushed in lay strewn about the floor. But the great bulk of a beast having freed its chain from the orc who held it, wields it as a weapon. The chain lashes around the room, causing me to duck. I slash one of my blades across the back of the troll's knee causing it to groan. I see Legolas running across the caught chain on one side and firing arrows as he goes. I slice my way through the throat of another orc and stab my sword into one of the trolls feet. It is now crying in pain with every blow. The troll grabs Frodo and throws him across the room. I cringe at the sound that the hobbit's landing makes. Aragorn jumps in to block the troll from killing Frodo. As Aragorn gets thrown across the room, I jump onto the back of the troll and drive my swords into either side of its neck. The troll reaches up and grabs me as I withdraw my blades from its' flesh. As it pulls me over its head, I slice down into the wrists of the troll causing it to release me prior to its' intention. I soar over to the wall and make a lovely smack sound as pain shoots through my body. Then as though I was a bird flying into a window, I slide down the wall and smash my head and shoulders on the ground.

Everything is spinning. I can't tell what direction is what, an orc approaches my broken form and grins down at me. The adrenaline makes me swing both blades in at the orc, who just so happens to be triplets. He shrieks as my swords hacks through his look alikes and into his flesh and falls over dead. Having sat up to dispatch the orc I nearly fall back down again. But move to get up anyways. The troll has just speared Frodo, who cries out in agony at the force the spear was driven into him at. I take a step toward him only to be confronted by three more orcs, or maybe it was only one orc. Either way there was at least one sword pointed in my direction. I moved one blade to fight and the orc automatically blocked with his sword. Then I brought the other blade and decapitated the orc. There is obviously something wrong with my head as I stumbled over to the two Frodo's lying against the wall in pain. They both fall over and the spear is dislodge from the point it was pinned to. I take a quick look around the room and ensure that there are no more orcs coming to get me or the Frodos and reach out to turn him over. Only to grab thin air instead of a shoulder, trying again I get the real Frodo this time and turn him over. His face shows agony in it, there was going to be one wicked bruise from the strike, but he was breathing. I moved him so that he was sitting against the wall and I checked over his injuries. There were calls of 'Frodo' still coming, they must have thought that I was merely moving his dead body. My swords lay at my side as I leaned against the wall next to Frodo and tried to consciously make the world behave.

"He's alive." Comes Sam's voice, I look over and Sam is standing nearby.

Aragorn and Gandalf had also rushed over and began checking Frodo to make sure that he was indeed alive and that he had not truly been skewered as they had thought.

"I'm all right. I'm not hurt." Frodo said to reassure them.

"You should be dead. That spear would have skewered a wild boar." Aragorn stated in disbelief.

"I think there is more to this hobbit than meets the eye." Gandalf said amused.

Frodo began to unbutton his shirt, and I was happy to say that there was only one Frodo at this point. Though the world did have a tendency to tilt slightly every few seconds.

"Mithril!" Gimli said immediately recognizing it. "You are full of surprises, Master Baggins."

There was the sound of orcs once again filling the hallway that was our only escape and the likelihood of surviving another battle in here was not that great. So Gandalf quickly stood back from where he was leaning in.

"To the bridge of Khazad-Dum!" Gandalf ordered, I moved to stand up only to find that the room still didn't want to stay in one spot.

Saffy noticed my wavering ability to stand and how I stumbled with the first step that I took.

"DiDi! What happened?" She asked concern flooding her tone.

"You know those poor birds that fly into glass windows and slide down hitting the ground?" I asked, to which she nodded. "I just found out that it's not that fun."

It took me a second but I picked up my swords and began running along with the fellowship who was taking a moment before running. We quickly made our way through the hallway toward the bridge that Gandalf had told us we were running toward. But we wouldn't make it. The orcs were too many and surrounded us in the middle of the hallway.

The hobbits are pushed into the center of the circle that we form, ready to fight the overwhelming orcs that have surrounded us. I waited, thinking that the orcs would be smart enough to begin their assault on us, but like I knew would happen the look of fire emerging from one of the passageways scared off the orcs who scurried for safety from the demon coming for us now. We were quickly left standing alone in the middle of the hallway with no orcs anywhere in sight, and the steps of the fire beast coming closer and closer to us.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir's voice asked.

"Time to go!" I said immediately heading in the direction that we were heading in before. But noticing the lack of people following me, other than Saffy. "When the evil things run away scared it's never a good sign. So we should go now."

"A Balrog- a demon of the ancient world." Gandalf declared, the look of terror only appearing in his and Legolas' eyes. "This foe is beyond any of you. Run."

At this the rest of the fellowship took off after Saffy and I who were a little ahead of the others. But we were quickly passed by Legolas, who with his elfy strength and stamina passed us and took the lead.

"Quickly!" Gandalf cheers as we rush through a doorway and begin down a flight of stairs.

"Gandalf!" Aragorn calls worriedly, at the wizard who insists upon running behind.

"Lead them on, Aragorn. The bridge is near." He says.

A look of disbelief crosses Aragorn's face as he motioned for Gandalf to lead the way across the bridge that was so near at hand.

"Do as I say!" Gandalf said sharply, but noticing the hurt look on Aragorn's face he explained. "Swords are of no more use here."

Indeed the bridge was near, as we raced across the bridge lead by Aragorn with Gandalf trailing behind in the back. We fly down the steps, which may I say is not safe, the dwarves really should have thought to put guard rails up because this was just ridiculous. And to make this even worse, there was a massive gap in the stairs. Which Legolas easily jumped across.

"Gandalf." Legolas said as he beckoned for the wizard to jump across the gap, which he did and landed straight in the arms of the elf.

Gandalf moves back so that Legolas can continue ensuring the safety of those who cross the gap. Arrows fly across and strike the ground where moments ago Gandalf's feet were. Legolas pulls out his bow and shoot across the gap at the orc, causing the orc to fall to the dark depths of the cavern.

"Merry, Pippin." Boromir says as he grabs them, once they are holding onto him he jumps across the distance as well.

"Sam." Aragorn says causing the hobbit to move within reach, Aragorn then tosses the hobbit across the gap and into the awaiting arms of Legolas.

"Saffron?" Aragorn asks, she moves so that he can toss her across the gap as well. She flies across easily and lands safely, as the others, in the arms of the elf.

"Deirdre?" Aragorn asks, as his way of asking to toss me over the gap.

"Uh-uh." I said, barely breathing the words. The gap looked really big to me right now. It didn't help that I was still dizzy from hitting my head. "I can't do it, Aragorn."

Frustrated Aragorn turned to Gimli and reaches to toss him across the gap. But the dwarf waves him off, only his response was full of confidence, while mine had been filled with fear.

"Nobody tosses a dwarf!" Gimli declared as he jumped over the gap only to start falling backwards, to which Legolas saved him by pulling him up by the beard. "Not the beard."

"Come on, DiDi! It's time to come across." Saffy encouraged, which really wasn't helping me that much.

"I didn't put any ranks in jump!" I scream at her, letting my Dungeons and Dragons geeky nature show.

"Your nerdiness is showing." She said. "There is a reason that skill can be used untrained. Now jump."

I nodded my head and looked to Aragorn. He picked me up and I closed my eyes. I flew through the air and was trying not to freak out. With my eyes shut I wouldn't be able to tell if I was flying on course or if the toss had not been hard enough and I was falling to my death. But I didn't have the courage to open my eyes and find out, it would be better not knowing.

Of course, those thoughts quickly ended as I was caught by something warm that smelled amazing. Like fall with the scent of trees and cinnamon. I opened my eyes and looking up, sure enough holding me in his arms was the elf prince. I quickly began moving out of the way, knowing that he would want to be prepared to catch Frodo and Aragorn.

But his plans were cut short when the front of the stairs crumbled and they had to scurry back in order to remain on the stairs that still stood. Unfortunately, the gap was now impossible to jump across. And while there would be a chance that if he tossed Frodo across the gap he would land safely, there was also a high enough chance that Frodo would fall to his doom if they tried that.

What I wouldn't give for rope right now. If we had rope we could tie it around their waists and have them jump so that if they did fall we could pull them back up. Unfortunately, not only did we not have the supplies but we didn't have the time as the Balrog was still coming after us. Luckily, another stone fell down from the ceiling and smashed the part of the stairs behind them, making the part they stood on teeter back and forth.

"Hang on!" Aragorn said as he steadied Frodo on the teetering stairs. "Lean forward!"

And with both of them leaning forward as Aragorn had instructed the section of stairs which they stood on leaned forward, they shifted forward and the two sections of stairs collided. Sending Aragorn and Frodo straight into the awaiting arms of Legolas and Boromir.

"Over the bridge! Fly!" Gandalf instructed, urging us onward away from the Balrog.

While we fled from the Balrog and as our guide had ordered, flew over the bridge to escape death, I glanced back and saw the wizard halt in his crossing. He halted and drew his sword, holding it in one hand as the other held his staff.

"You cannot pass!" Gandalf ordered the Balrog, which only enraged the demon more.

"Gandalf!" Came Frodo's cry, begging for his friend to come and run away with him.

The full appearance of the Balrog came into view, and it was hideous. Great and terrible in its' fiery appearance. With cloven feet and great horns upon its' head. It reminded me of what the devil may look like, actually it kind of looked like Diablo in the computer game, as great ashen wings spread out from the back of the demon. It looked as though it was so evil that hell itself spat it back out, denying a place in the hole of evil for so terrible a monster.

"I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor…" Gandalf began, stating his station and right to deny the passage to the demon.

Gandalf raised his staff, illuminating the entire area around him in light that the crystal, which had been our main source of light for the past four days, bathed upon as though signifying he was a force of good.

"The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun!" Gandalf stated, his voice full of power.

The Balrog, not taking kindly to what Gandalf was saying, raised his arm high in the air and a sword of flames formed in its' clawlike hand. The monster brought the blade down to strike Gandalf, who parried the blade with his own, shattering the flame sword.

"Go back to the Shadow!" Gandalf commands the monster.

As the Balrog opens its' mouth in response a flame is issued forth, and it raised its' hand brandishing a fiery whip. The monster snaps the whip menacingly in the air. As much as I want to say that my mind was currently full of all sorts of snarky comments about how kinky it was that the demon used a whip, I could not bring them to the forefront of my mind. Admittedly, I had the seen the movie more times than I could count, which really shouldn't be astonishing as I was a dancer when I was younger and being such can't truly count past 8. But that is beside the point. This was more horrific than any movie, the demon more menacing than the special effects in a film. This was real.

"You…Shall Not… Pass!" Gandalf yelled his command at the demon as he slammed his staff down against the ground to emphasize his command.

With that the ground beneath the demon gives out, between the combination of the Balrog's weight and Gandalf striking the ground. Gandalf turned to follow us from the cavern as I heard the sound of the whip crack one more time and saw the panic in Gandalf's eyes as the whip caught around his ankle and pulled him backwards. There was a moment of shock that nothing happened in, followed by the screams of every member of the fellowship except our wizard, who now clung for his life on the edge of the broken bridge.

"Noooo!" was the unanimous cry from our throats, even though I knew it was pointless I couldn't keep myself from trying to rush forward to aid Gandalf. Watching his face as he prepared to face death was heartbreaking. Arms wrapped around me, holding me against their owner's body. A sob broke out from my chest as I saw Boromir struggling to keep Frodo from rushing to the edge of the bridge to save Gandalf.

"Gandalf!" Is the shattered cry that erupts from Frodo, as he watches the man who was like family to him so near to death.

Gandalf stops struggling to hold on when he locks eyes with Frodo. He becomes resigned, he looks directly at Frodo as he says the last words he would say to his companions as Gandalf the Grey.

"Fly, you fools." He said, as he let go of the edge of the bridge he had been trying in vain to hold onto.

I wish I could have smiled that his last words were insulting to the people who had traveled with him and he had guided. But although, I knew that Gandalf would return to us one day, the grief of seeing him fall to the darkness and death, the look on his face brought tears to my eyes. I was dragged out of the Mines of Moria by Legolas, his scent filling my nose as I turned away from the memory of what I had seen and buried my face in his chest.

Daylight was unbearable, the darkness would be more apropos to the grief that plagued the fellowship in those moments. The sound of sobs permeate the group, no comfort will be reached yet. Even when I know that Gandalf has not yet served his entire purpose and would return to us, I could not stop the guilt at knowing what would happen when we entered Moria. I could not halt the sorrow that marched its way across my heart. And I could not end the pain in my chest at the loss of a friend.

"Legolas, get them up." Aragorn ordered, taking leadership immediately, as Gandalf had intended him to do.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake." Boromir pleaded, his own eyes wet with tears.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs. We must reach the woods of Lothlorien. Come, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, get them up." Aragorn ordered once more.

Legolas held me close to him for one last second, rubbing my back soothingly, before pulling away and following Aragorn's orders.

"On your feet, Sam." Aragorn said, lifting Sam up so that he could walk. He looked around for Frodo. "Frodo? Frodo?"

Frodo looks back over at the group, from his place standing alone, a tear running down his face as he deals with the loss of his friend. Frodo nods his head as he walks back and rejoins the fellowship silently. No one speaks. We are quietly taking in the death of our guide as Aragorn leads us in the direction of Lothlorien.

After walking for a good deal of time, with my hand firmly grasped in Saffy's, needing the comfort right now, Sam looks up at me hopefully.

"Miss Deirdre, would you sing us a song as we walk? Anything to remember Gandalf?" Sam asks, his voice sad but there was hope that things would get better.

"I know a song. About sorrow and loss. Would you like that?" I asked, unable to smile as I asked Sam.

"Yes, please." Sam said, almost as though my agreement to sing would make things the slightest bit better.

_Never look back 'cause it hurts._

_My heart is so cold_

_I feel the frost,_

_Never look back._

_I feel the darkness on my shoulder,_

_The frost is in my heart._

_So cold my hair is frozen,_

_Touching my skin, my flesh._

_Sometimes I regret I had to do,_

_'Cause our love was somehow true._

_But I had to leave you,_

_For the sake of the moods._

_Frozen tears turn into my skin._

_Frozen memories of you._

_Sometimes I see your face,_

_As pure as you are mine._

_I feel the darkness on my shoulder,_

_The frost is in my heart._

_So cold my hair is frozen,_

_Touching my skin, my flesh._

_Never look back because it hurts._

_My heart is so cold_

_I feel the frost,_

_Never look back._

Tears rolled down my face as the words issued out. By the end of the song as we walked there were tears once again in most everyone's eyes. When the edges of the woods of Lorien came into sight, we all began running to get into the safety of the trees as soon as possible. We ran until covered in the shadows cast by the great trees above us. Standing on the edge of the forest, we waited until our fellowship was whole, or as whole as possible, and continued walking in the darkened wood of Lothlorien.

***End Chapter 9***

Alright, there is chapter 9. For those curious, the song is Frozen by Within Temptation from the album _The Heart of everything_. There may be a slight delay before the next chapter can go up, I will be going out of town early tomorrow morning and only have a possibility of getting internet before late at night. Read and Review.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 10***

***Deirdre's POV***

"Stay close, young hobbits. They say a great sorceress lives in these woods, an Elf-witch, of terrible power. All who look upon her, fall under her spell and are never seen again." Gimli warns the hobbits, speaking of Lady Galadriel, apparently rumors get out of Lothlorien about the Lady of the Wood.

"I heard that it wasn't magic keeping people here. But she is so beautiful that no one wants to lose the sight of her, because to them nothing will ever be fair again." I said, causing the hobbits to look at me and Gimli to scoff.

Frodo halts in his steps, his mind must be filled with flashes from Galadriel. A little bit of a cheap tactic, very distracting, but it would come in handy for having to communicate with people far away.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asks, noticing that Frodo had paused in his movements.

"Well, here is one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox." Gimli says, turning back around to find an arrow right in his face.

"So Mister eyes of a hawk and ears of a fox, did you see this coming?" I teased, I think it was exceptional that I could make jokes when having dozens of arrows pointed in my direction, and they were all sharp.

"The dwarf breathes so loud, we could have shot him in the dark." Haldir stated as he approached our group.

Gimli actually growled, like full on animalistic annoyed growl. The bows aimed at us were lowered and we were escorted through the woods, until we reached a platform.

"Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion." Haldir greeted Legolas in elvish. (Well met, Legolas son of Thranduil).

"Govannas vin gwennen le, Haldir o Lorien." Legolas replied. (Our fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lorien.)

Now I would love to say that I understood exactly what they were saying because somehow magically I could speak elvish. However, this was not the case. I understood what was said because I was a nerd, and had not only memorized almost every line from all three movies but also tried to learn the language of the elves, which is not a simple task when you try and learn from websites that don't necessarily agree with one another. If only Tolkien had made a dictionary for the languages that he created, but sadly he did not. So now I am stuck with remembering the translations.

Haldir looked over at Aragorn and recognized him.

"O, Aragorn in Dunedain istannen le ammen." Haldir said as way of greeting Aragorn. (Oh, Aragorn of the Dunedain, you are known to us.)

"Haldir." Aragorn responded, bowing his head slightly in recognition of the elf.

"So much for the courtesy of the elves, speak words we can also understand." Gimli growled out at Haldir, he really must hate elves.

"We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the dark days." Haldir explained, the Dwarf tongue was likely unknown to him and the Dwarves weren't a race which dealt with the elves often.

"And you know what this Dwarf says to that? Ishkhaqwi ai durungul." Gimli insulted.

The translation I believe being something along the lines of I spit upon your grave which is definitely not the best thing to say to the people with pointy arrows, good job Gimli. So as punishment, I flicked his nose and scowled at him.

"Be polite. Do not expect something of others if you are not able to do the same." Was my sharp reprimand.

"That was not so courteous." Aragorn reprimanded him along with me, giving Gimli a dark look.

"And what have we here? A traveling company with two women?" Haldir questioned as he looked us over, I stood up straight under his scrutiny making sure he knew that I wasn't weak.

I merely nodded my head to Haldir, understanding that this was a patriarchal world and it was strange for women to be traveling with a group of men as we were. Haldir's eyes moved to Frodo.

"You bring great evil with you." He stated then looked back at Aragorn. "You can go no further."

Aragorn walks a distance away from us with Haldir and argues heatedly in favor of us continuing on in Lorien. I moved back over to Frodo, who looks depressed still, not only the weight of the Gandalf's death bears down upon him but he carries a torment on his journey. When Frodo takes a seat, I sit beside him and wrap an arm around his shoulders. For the comfort I can offer, Frodo leans into me, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Gandalf's death was not in vain… nor would he have you give up hope. You carry a heavy burden, Frodo… don't carry the weight of the dead." Boromir tells Frodo, his words sincere and reasonable.

As he says this, the good man that he is shows through. I smile up at him with tears in my eyes, happy that he is still the man he truly is at heart right now. But the thought of him fading into madness and greed makes my heart ache, the Ring truly does terrible things. Boromir's eyes meet mine and he gives a soft smile in return to my own.

Frodo looks up suddenly, as Haldir and Aragorn return to the group. The look on Haldir's face is one of supreme annoyance, he is obviously not happy that he will be taking us into Caras Galadhon.

"You will follow me." He says, voice coming out terse.

Haldir and his group of elves lead us deeper into the woods, in the direction of the great elven city. As we walk, my eyes dance among the trees and plants that grow in Lorien. I can understand why it is called the Golden Wood, everything is so beautiful here. As we walk the beginning of the outline of Caras Galadhon forms in the distance. Light dances from the city and the sight is truly enchanting.

"Caras Galadhon… the heart of Elvendom on earth. Realm of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light." Haldir announces, his voice holds love for his city.

The architecture of the elves is rather simplistic in its elegance. There is little decoration on the white structures that carefully intertwine with the tree's natural beauty to make a truly splendid sight, my breath catches in my throat as I truly see the beauty and magnificence of the city before me. Delicate light filters through the structures, as though every beam that the elves formed here is radiating its own light. We walk up stairs that twist around the form of a great tree, the ledges that appear on every tree near the city look as though they are leaves made out of light.

When we reach a platform in the palace of the trees, bathed in silver light, Haldir steps to the side and we all look up to what he gazes upon. Walking down the steps toward us are two of the most enchanting figures I have ever seen. Both looking like angels walking directly to us from heaven, the Lord and Lady of the Wood are holding hands as they walk down to meet us.

As they approach a light is emanating from them, which faintly grows dimmer as they walk closer to us and farther from the heavenly stars above. I bow my head reverently as they reach the platform in front of us. When I look back up, I see the Lady Galadriel looking at Frodo. Their eyes meet and there is a sort of warmth and comfort in her eyes that could settle a stampede of elephants.

"The Enemy knows that you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone. Ten there are here, yet eleven set forth from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf?" The Lord Celeborn asked us, his voice was rich and lovely. "For I much desire to speak with him… I can no longer see him from afar."

The answer is radiating out from the fellowship in waves of sorrow. Galadriel looking into Aragorn's eyes reads the answer, and there is a sadness in her eyes when she sees this.

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into shadow." Galadriel states, her voice sorrowful as her eyes.

"He was taken by both Shadow and Flame: a Balrog of Morgoth." Legolas explained, his voice full of the pain of having to state the words. It sounded so final, being said aloud. "For we went needlessly into the net of Moria."

Gimli sadly bowed his head, feeling it was his fault that Gandalf had fallen. He had wanted to go into Moria so much, wanted to show the fellowship what he was so proud of, make his own contribution to the Fellowship in ways other than just fighting. Wishing he had been able to offer protection to the group, but instead bringing anguish.

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his whole purpose." Galadriel spoke to Legolas, then turning to the grieving Gimli. "Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-Dum fill your heart, Gimli son of Gloin. For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands, love is now mixed with grief."

Gimli looked up at the Lady as she spoke these words. A small comfort issued from Galadriel to him. Galadriel then turns to Boromir, I can see the starlight shining in her eyes. Boromir meets her expression for a second, but quickly turns away.

"What now becomes of the Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost." Celeborn says, my eyes slide over to Aragorn. He is a symbol of hope and to me having come this far is impressive.

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all." Galadriel states, but looks at the downcast Boromir. "Yet hope remains, while the company is true."

I know she is speaking about Sam, you don't get much more loyal than this hobbit is to Frodo. She smiles as she looks at him, Sam is able to meet her gaze and keep it.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace." Galadriel says comfortingly.

At her dismissal we walk away from the Lord and Lady of the Golden wood. When we reach the base of the stairs that we had just recently climbed to meet with the Lord and Lady, we are met by a beautiful female elf. She smiles when she sees us, as soon as we step onto the ground she approaches us.

"I am here to collect you two ladies. The Lady thought that you might like a chance to wash up, separately from your male companions." Her voice was soft and sounded like water flowing. I think it's an elf thing, having a lovely voice.

"Oh, thank you." I said with a relieved smile on my face, this meant a bath, fantastic. "I'm Deirdre."

"I'm Saffron." Saffy chirped up, I think by this point we had just given up on anyone calling us by our less formal names. "What is your name?"

"Mithchel. Now if you will please come with me." She requested, her voice full of compassion and patience.

"See you all later." I called back to the Fellowship with a smile, as we followed Mithchel away from our friends.

We reached a hallway and she led us to two doors side by side. She smiled and stood before the doors, they were beautifully designed and looked as though the tree had intended these doors to be attached to it.

"You may bathe in here. New gowns will be brought to you shortly. When you are finished, tell one of the maids that you need to get back to the fellowship and they will fetch me to lead you back." She said happily.

"Thank you, Mithchel." I said as I disappeared into one of the rooms, I could faintly hear Saffy do the same thing before ducking into her own bathroom.

When I looked at the room that I was standing in, I had to take a deep breath. The room was beautiful, there was a great sunken bath in the floor and it looked big enough to fit several people at one time comfortably. A rack was set next to the bath, and there was more lotions and oils than I could count. I walked over to the rack and began rifling through the rack, finally finding the perfect scent for me. It was vanilla, I had always had a faint scent of vanilla on my skin, probably from my years of using both vanilla body wash and body spray. So now I had the scent of vanilla as my usual scent and the cleansing oil that matched another for my hair would make my scent return fully. I quickly stripped off my gown, weapons, and undergarments and sunk into the steaming water.

There was no way to describe the incredible feeling of sinking into my first hot bath since we had been in Rivendell. Compared to the few icy baths that I had gotten to indulge in, this was paradise. I could very well be dead and this was my own personal heaven. Even though the general joke was that I was going straight to hell for being such a mean person at times. Sometimes I even joked that I already had a condo waiting for me.

Once my fingers and toes began to turn pruny and the water lost some of it's heat, leaning more toward cool water than the pleasant heat it had been when I sank into the bath. I rose from the tub and grabbed the towel-like cloth that had been laid out on a nearby chair. Some of the water dripped off my skin and got on the floor, which made me feel a little guilty. After drying off and wrapping my wet hair in the towel, I found the clean clothing that had been left for me. There was even fresh undergarments, though I was a bit worried about lacing my own corset once again. I had never had to fasten a back-lacing corset on my own before. After a few long minutes of tying the lacings in the back, which involved leaning against a wall at one point to get the little bit of extra leverage to pull it tight. Then being knot-challenged as I was, seriously I used to tie my shoes once and then leave them tied for weeks because it was complicated, I had to retighten the laces but somehow managed to tie the corset. My dress was much easier, as it didn't have any ties in back and merely had some lacing on the sides to bring the bodice in tight.

The dress was a beautiful blue, with silver sleeves falling open at the elbow. It definitely reminded me of the stars. The dress seemed very suiting to be of Lothlorien origin, as this was a city of lights. I slipped back on my leather boots and walked over to the vanity that was on one side of the room. There was a brush sitting on the counter, and after towel drying my hair, I brushed it out, leaving my hair falling in gentle waves down my back. Then, looking down at the droplets of water that had splattered after my bath, I quickly blotted up the water. I gathered up the dirty clothes that I had shed, and put them on the chair. Looking around the room, I found that it was in rather good condition considering that I had used the room to bath in, I walked out of the door of my room into the hallway. I had half a mind to just sit around and wait until Saffy came out of her bathing room. But the thought struck me that maybe she had already finished and was heading back to the fellowship's encampment. So I knocked on her door.

"Saffy?" I questioned, listening for any sounds that may come out from behind the door.

"Yeah?" Came Saffy's voice after a moment.

"Are you about done? Or should I go to the camp without you?" I asked, wondering how much longer Saffy was going to be.

There was a moment of silence in the room followed by footsteps approaching the door that I stood outside of. Then the door was opened to reveal Saffy in a silver gown with blue sleeves, we were dressed exactly opposite of one another, but her hair fell freely down her back as mine only her hair didn't have the same waves to it.

" I'm done." She replied happily, just then an elf maid walked through the hallway toward us.

"Excuse me? But I was wondering if you knew where Mithchel was, she was going to show us to where the fellowship is staying?" I asked politely.

"Of course. I'll go fetch her quickly." The elf said kindly, and with that she continued down the hallway in the direction that she was already heading.

About a moment later Mithchel came walking back to us, smiling brightly. Compared to Legolas, who masked his emotions so much, these female elfs were always smiling.

"Well, now that you are both clean. I'll show you where your friends are staying." She said, then began walking causing me and Saffy to trail behind her.

As we walked the sound of singing began, the sole voice of a female elf began the song.

_A Olórin i yaresse… (Olórin who once was…)__  
__Mentaner i Numeherui (Sent by the Lords of the West)__  
__Tírien i Rómenóri… (To guard the Lands of the East…)_

Her voice was joined by the voices of other elves who added their own part to the lament.

_Melme nóren sina (Our love for this land)__  
__núra ala (Is deeper than the deeps)__  
__Eäro… (Of the sea…)_

…_Maiaron i Oiosaila, (Wisest of all Maiar,)__  
__Manan elye etevanne (What drove you to leave)__  
__Nórie i malanelye? (That which you loved?)___

_…Ilfirin nairelma (Yet we will cast all away)__  
__ullume nucuvalme. (Rather that submit.)__  
__Nauva i nauva... (What should be shall be...)_

The translation to the song echoed in my mind, during one of my Lord of the Rings marathons when I had wanted to pay attention to the movie entirely and opened an online transcript of the movie, I had memorized the words in English as I couldn't keep the Elvish straight.

Tears began to fill my eyes once more as I heard the loss and desolation of the elves who had learned that Gandalf was dead and grieved for his passing. We walked into the fellowship camp just in time to hear Sam talking about the lament.

"I bet they don't mention his fireworks. There should be a verse about them." Sam said as he began to think of what the verse should be to honor the special part of Gandalf shown mainly to the hobbits.

"The finest rockets ever seen, They burst in stars of blue and green, Or after thunder… silver showers…Came raining down like a rain of flowers." Sam tried thinking of the fireworks. "Oh that doesn't do them justice by a long road."

"Here you are, ladies." Mithchel said as we stood on the edge of the camp.

"Thank you very much, Mithchel." Saffy and I echoed at the same time.

Aragorn moves from his resting place and crosses over to where Boromir is sitting on the ledge of a stone fountain.

…_Ú-reniathach (No more will you wander)__  
__i amar galen (The green fields of this earth)__  
__I reniad lín ne môr, nuithannen. (Your journey has ended in darkness.)_

I took a seat near the hobbits not wanting to hear the conversation between Boromir and Aragorn, but knowing that I couldn't escape it.

"Take some rest. These borders are well protected." Aragorn encouraged.

"I will find no rest here. I heard her voice inside my head. She spoke of my father and the fall of Gondor. She said to me 'Even now, there is hope left.' But I cannot see it. It is long since we had any hope." Boromir's voice sounded, full of despair. "My father is a noble man, but his rule is failing. And now our…our people lose faith. He looks to me to make things right and I- I would do it. I would see the glory of Gondor restored. Have you ever seen it Aragorn? The White Tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver. It's banners caught high in the morning breeze. Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?"

"I have seen the White City, long ago." Aragorn says, carefully avoiding calling Gondor his home.

"One day our paths will lead us there. And the tower guard shall take up the call 'The Lords of Gondor have returned." Boromir says.

My eyes water up as soon as the words leave his mouth. I turn to Saffy and bury my face in her shoulder. Silent tears roll down my face as she wraps her arms around me, understanding why my tears fall. With a glance upward, I see her sad face.

The camp is quiet that night and the fellowship lay down to take rest in silence. There is no one keeping watch and my mind takes long to quiet. I keep my eyes shut, trying to force my mind to shut off and sleep to claim me. But there is no rest, I finally grow frustrated and sit up. Frodo has left the camp to go and speak with Lady Galadriel. So I rise from camp and decide that I want to take a walk by the river.

It is only a short walk to the river and the water flowing makes a soothing sound. In the corners of my mind I know that I should return to camp, or go and speak with Galadriel. That I need to find my answers before sleep will come to me. The dress is so lovely, that I strip it off and wade into the river in only my undergarments. The water rushing around me is cold, but soothing at the same time.

"You should not wander into the waters without anyone knowing where you are. You may be lost to the current and everyone would wonder what took you from them." Galadriel's voice spoke inside my head.

I smiled a little when I heard this, I guess she was done talking to Frodo. Deciding that maybe she had a point about the river, I walked back to the shore and shivered a little in the cold night air. My skin was wet, as well as the cloth on my body. But I still dressed in my dress once more, wanting a little more protection from the night air.

"Come to my Mirror." Galadriel's voice said in my head once more.

A pulling sensation led me in the direction of her mirror. It only took a few minutes to walk to the mirror and the way I walked avoided the camp and the probably conscious Frodo.

"Will you look into the mirror?" Galadriel asked me, as she fetched fresh water to pour into the pool.

I nodded my head, remembering what Frodo saw in the mirror, but somehow I felt brave enough to look in for myself. Seeing my acceptance, Galadriel poured the silvery water into the pedestal. Then she motioned for me to step up and gaze into the water. I move up and stare into the pool of water.

There is nothing for a moment as the mirror begins to sense that it is needed to be used. Then images begin to flash before my eyes. I see Boromir's death, Gandalf's return, and the end of the war. The images that I know will come flash before my eyes, then new images move through the water. Legolas and Gimli are travelling to Mirkwood with a she-elf. Her face is not shown, but time passes and Legolas and the she-elf stand, she is garbed in a beautiful white gown, a veil over her face. They share a kiss and then turn to face the people of Mirkwood who gathered for the celebration. Saffy stands to one side her hand grasping that of a beautiful blonde elf woman. Legolas, his elf wife, Saffy and her elf love are standing on the docks ready to head into the west. Saffy has aged slightly, she looks to be about 24 now. Legolas' bride drags him to the beach as he complains about her getting her dress wet. But she pulls him into the beautiful waters none the less.

Legolas pulls his wife in and kisses her. Then upon the kiss breaking, the face of the elf is finally revealed. She looks just like me.

***End Chapter 10***

Sorry about not updating in a while. I hope that I can be forgiven. Please Read and Review.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 11***

**Deirdre's POV**

I stumble back from the mirror, confusion marring my face. Glancing up at Galadriel, I see her smiling gently.

"You saw." I said hoping that she could explain what exactly was going on.

"I did." She said, her voice sounding soft and lovely as always. "Did you get the answers that you sought?"

"I don't know." I said, still confused. "I don't understand how I can be that elf."

"I know not how you came to be this way, but one day you may no longer be mortal. Your true form in this world may in fact be an elf." Galadriel tried to explain.

I thought this over for a moment. I knew that I would see the elf from my dream once again when I fall asleep. He had said that I would speak with him again once I had spoken with Galadriel. Then, my mind jumped somewhere else entirely.

"Who was that elf with Saffy?" I asked Galadriel, hoping that she may know who my friend was going to love.

"That I do know." Galadriel said with a smile. "Her name is Nimiwen. She resides here in Lothlorien, and is one of the warriors."

"Really?" I asked excitedly, I was so happy for Saffy her love was in Lothlorien. "Galadriel, if possible could I request a favor. I know this may seem odd, but you see the future. If ever a time comes when the elves go to aid another kingdom, can she go with?" I asked.

"I believe that I know of the time which you are speaking of. And I believe that may be possible. You may even meet her while you are here. She has an affinity for being at the practice fields often when she is here." Galadriel said, knowing what I was thinking and contributing in her own way to the romance that we both knew would happen.

"Thanks, Galadriel." I said brightly.

"You are welcome, Deirdre. Now go rest, otherwise your friends may wonder what you have been doing all night that made you sleep in." Galadriel said, her tone amused as she spoke.

I nodded my head to her and took my leave, returning to the camp and lying down with a smile on my face. Sleep came incredibly easy after that.

**Dream**

I was back on the beach and looked around for the male elf. Since he was nowhere in sight, I rushed into the water wanting to enjoy myself a little before he showed up for what was sure to be a serious conversation. The waves felt as amazing as they had the last time that I was here. It was fun and when I glanced back at the shore the elf was standing there waiting for me once again. When I made it back out of the water, he had an amused look on his face.

"Maybe I should stop bringing you here. You always get distracted by the ocean." He said, amusement clear in his voice.

"You could always enjoy yourself and join me in the water sometime." I said brightly, although my limbs were tired from playing in the water I was still really happy.

"I don't think that would help with having a conversation, I'm afraid." He said, still sounding amused at my childish nature.

"Right. So I talked to Lady Galadriel." I said getting us on topic.

"I know, otherwise I would not be here." He replied. "What do you think of what you saw in the mirror."

"I'm confused. I don't understand how I could be an elf. Both my parents are mortal, so therefore I should be as well."

"Physically, you are human. Or as human as your soul will allow. In your world that meant merely a pointed ear. But now that you are in Middle Earth, where there are such things as elves you are beginning to change."

"Wait. So you're saying that my mind and spirit are elven or something?"

"Your soul is that of an elf. One of the Valar wanted an elf warrior to come to Middle Earth from afar with knowledge of what would come to pass, which is why you were born in your world. But your soul longed to return to the land it truly belonged in."

"But how did Saffy get here then?"

"The inner longing to come to Middle Earth opened a portal of sorts, the fairy ring which you stepped in. Your friend walked into the fairy ring and was transported here just as you were."

"Oh." I said simply, not really understanding how to respond to what he told me. "What I saw in the mirror? Will that all come true?"

"The possibility of the events seen in the mirror is the highest. Though there may be a change, that is most likely going to be the future."

"So, I'm going to marry Legolas?" I asked.

"One day you may. It is not certain, but that chance lies in your future."

I nodded my head and looked back out over the ocean, thinking on what the elf had said. I understood looking into Galadriel's mirror that the mirror showed what may come to pass. There was no certainty in the future.

"It is time for you to awaken, Deirdre. Your friends will worry if you do not wake soon." He said, beginning to walk away down the beach.

"Wait. You still haven't told me who you are." I called out to him.

"One day you may meet me in the world, when you reach the grey havens or the Halls of Mandos." He told me just before he vanished.

***End Dream***

My eyes snapped open. Around me the fellowship was beginning to wake up, Frodo still slept tired from the night before. I stretched as I rose from my sleeping mat, as soon as I regained consciousness a smile spread across my face.

"Hey Saffy? After breakfast do you want to visit the training fields and get a little practice in?" I asked her.

"I guess it can't hurt." Saffy replied.

"Awesome." I said smiling at the thought of Nimiwen being at the training fields today and meeting Saffy.

Sam prepared breakfast and we all ate the wonderful food. There was a little more cheer today than there had been last night. Once the meal had been finished I stood up and grabbed both my blades. Saffy was moving a little slower, not sharing my enthusiasm for getting to the training fields. When I was completely ready and Saffy was taking forever, I rushed over to her and finished grabbing her stuff then dragged her to the practice fields waving farewell to the fellowship who stared at me in confusion.

"Alright, spill. What is so special about the practice fields that you were practically jumping up and down in excitement to go?" Saffy asked me, she stopped on our walk there and stared at me.

"I spoke to Lady Galadriel last night." I said, starting out simple.

"Oh? Spill." Saffy said again, sounding as she did back when we sat on my bed having 'girl talk'.

"Well, I've had a few dreams. Where a male elf speaks to me, the same elf each time and in the same place." I began, trying to explain what I was thinking. "He came and talked to me again last night about what I had seen in Galadriel's Mirror. He said, that my soul was that of an elf and that it was placed into a human body when I was born, which is why my ear is pointed my soul was altering my body."

There was a look of concentration on Saffy's face, a look typically reserved for the AP courses that she took in mass quantity in high school. She was obviously digesting what I told her. As this happened I decided to continue walking, which she began and walked along with me.

"I saw what may be the future in Galadriel's mirror, the things that we know will come to pass as the fellowship ends and the war of the One Ring completes. But also of life here after that, I get married and you find love and we all leave for the grey havens together." I said my words coming out softly as I figure out the best way to phrase them.

"You know who we are going to marry?" she asks me.

"I know who there is a high possibility of us marrying, though I'm not sure if you ever get married. My wedding was included in the vision, but there was nothing of yours." I said making sure she understood what I was saying in that we had no way to guarantee what would happen.

"So why are we going to the practice fields?"

"Because, there is absolutely no way to have 'girl talk' with a bunch of males around." I lied.

Saffy didn't realize that it was a lie, I had gotten good at hiding the truth, it was a skill of mine. Something that some of the time I was proud of and others it made me feel guilty. But I pushed that thought from my mind as we continued walking to the practice fields.

There were a few elves in the field, but none of them was Nimiwen. I frowned for a moment, then pulled my cloak off. Saffy did the same, we both drew our dual swords out. Standing facing one another we both smiled. This was going to be for fun as well as kind of for practice, after all when it came down to leaving Lothlorien we would need to be able to fight again.

"First blood?" I asked, questioning the guide lines for this fight. Once it would come down to drawing blood it would be time for it to end, otherwise we might get angry at the other for causing a wound and the fight could turn deadly.

Dueling with dual swords was more difficult than with only one. It would be easier to slice down orcs with the second blade, but meeting blows was a little different. Especially considering that we didn't want to hurt one another. The clashing of swords rang out from the practice fields, with every strike the sound resonated around the practice field. It was like an elegant dance between the two of us, the swords extensions from our arms. And it felt amazing, having the endorphins flowing through my body, the adrenaline, but still knowing that I didn't have to fear for my life.

The clashing continued for a while, minutes went by but the fight felt timeless. There was only the slight strain in my muscles reminding me that time did matter and that I didn't have the strength to wield both blades forever. I don't know how it happened. A scream issued from Saffy as my sword missed hers and dragged along her arm. Then just as her scream began to subside, the pain of her blade drawing across my skin caused me to issue out a cry of my own. We stopped moving, our arms falling down to our sides as the blades dropped from our hands. I immediately grasped at the cut, applying pressure to the cut. It wasn't a deep gash and only a small amount of the red liquid seeped onto my palm, and oozed between my fingers. I picked up my swords and sheathed them.

Apparently, a crowd had gathered around to watch the two of us fight. When we both cried out, they had begun to rush in until noticing that the swords were still raised. But when I sheathed my swords some of the elves came over to me. Grabbing me by the lower part of my injured arm, and leading me toward a bench where they sat me down.

"That was a good match." The elf said as he pulled the sleeve of my dress apart, revealing the gash on my forearm.

"Thank you." I said distractedly, my eyes followed the female elf attending to Saffy's own wound.

The elf had long blonde hair and had a quiver of arrows strapped across her back along with a bow. A long blade hung down at her side. Resisting the urge to smile, I watched the encounter. My arm was bandaged rather quickly, Saffy's took longer. When I was finished I stood up and glanced over at Saffy and her elf.

"I'm heading back to camp. Why don't you hang out here? I'm done practicing for the day." I called to her as I began heading in the direction of camp.

When I glanced back at her she nodded her head and there was a grateful look on her face. It seemed that she was going to be hanging around the practice fields more often. I arrived in camp to find most of the group still there. I unfastened the swords from my waist and picked up my bow and arrow. There was bound to be a target somewhere around here, probably close to the practice fields.

"Legolas, do you know where I can go to practice with my bow?" I asked a little embarrassed.

"There is a range beyond the practice fields, you can go there." He said with a smile.

I nodded my head and left in the direction of the archery range that he had mentioned.

**Legolas' POV**

I watched Deirdre walk away from the camp once more, confused as to where Saffron had gone, as they had left camp to train together about half an hour prior. After a few minutes, I also left the fellowship, walking into the woods and then heading in the direction that Deirdre had gone.

Standing on the edge of the cover beside the archery range, I watched as Deirdre, being the only one using this field at the moment, notched an arrow and fire it into a tree. Her aim seemed much better, especially compared to her hitting herself in the forehead and then missing the tree for a time. I watched for a few minutes, waiting for Saffron to show up and keep her company as she fired the arrows.

When most of her arrows were buried into the body of the tree, all rather close together, she walked forward to retrieve the arrows and an idea struck me. She hadn't noticed me, so I thought maybe I could pay her back for all the times that she had teased me. I slipped from my place and drawing one of the knives from my boots, held the flat side of the blade against her neck as my arm wrapped around her waist. Her body was rigid in my grasp, and she was pressed firmly against me. The sweet scent of vanilla wafted off of her, it was stronger now than it had been before.

"You are lucky we are in Lothlorien. Otherwise an orc may have gotten the same upper hand on you that I managed." I said with a smile into her ear, causing her body to tighten once again. "I doubt you could do much damage with your bow this close up."

A smile tugged on her lips, and I could see her cheeks rise as she smiled. She turned around in my arms to face me, then pulled my body tight against her. I breathed in sharply at the close contact, enjoying the feel of her pressing herself further into me. That is, until she moved her leg behind my knees and knocked me to the ground. I hit the ground with a thump and the landing hurt to some extent.

"Who said that I needed the bow?" She questioned, her voice coming out huskily.

She was trying to hold my shoulders down with just her arms. I gave a smile as she said this. Then I grabbed her wrists, pulled them across my body so she fell across me and rolled so that I was now pinning her to the ground, with her legs on either side of me.

"Considering you just got pinned once more. I do." I said with a smirk.

She squirmed beneath me, accidentally grinding herself against me. She gasped when she realized what she had done and she looked almost apologetic. _Now that wouldn't do._ I thought to myself. I leaned down nearer to her, her struggling was minimal now. Her breathing had quickened as I neared her face. I was sure that I was looking triumphant at getting her struggling to halt. A look appeared in her eyes as though she just had a brilliant idea. And before I could think of anything, I felt her warm lips pressing against mine. I was shocked for a moment, but decided that maybe for once I could act now and think later, and kissed her back. Her tongue brushed against my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I opened my mouth and as she tentatively began exploring my mouth, I pressed down harder and tasted hers. She tasted as sweet as fresh fruit. My hands released her wrists and moved to support me over her, while her hands reached up behind my back. Before I knew it she had reversed our position so that she was straddling me and had me laying on my back on the ground. She pulled away from our kiss, her face flushed a bright pink. She leaned down for a second and placed a quick chaste kiss on my lips. Then she stood up and left. Grabbing her bow and arrows and leaving the practice field before I had time to stand up.

**Deirdre's POV**

Wow, I had kissed Legolas. I thought as I hastened back through the woods, not planning on returning to camp just yet and went to the river. I needed a little while to calm the flush that had undoubtedly spread across my face. My fingers touched my swollen lips, they felt softer after kissing him. It had been something that I discovered, lips always grew softer after a make-out session. And while that hadn't been a full on session, it was the start of one. I could feel my face growing redder as I thought. He had tasted better than any guy I had ever kissed before, almost sweet. Girls tasted sweet normally, not guys. I had kissed girls before, there were a lot of games of truth or dare and I've never which resulted in all sorts of different experiences. And kissing my female friends had been some of those experiences. I pressed my lips together, trying to rid my mind of the thought. Yeah, I had liked kissing him, and would be more than willing to do it again. I don't know how much practice he has had, but he was definitely not a bad kisser. But I wasn't sure that this was the best time to start a relationship, I mean there was a chance I was going to die pretty soon. Sure he was going to live, and Galadriel's mirror had suggested that I would live. But one can never be certain.

I removed my boots and pulled my dress up a little. I dipped my toes into the cool water, then searched out a rock that stood on the edge of the river. Once upon the rock, I sat down and let my feet dangle into the water. The cool water felt lovely on my feet, and the icy feeling pierced up to my ankles. Leaving my feet in the water, I laid back on the rock and stared up at the sky. I stayed this way until the sun had sunken down on the horizon. My feet were numb from the cold, I pulled them out of the water and slipped my boots back on. My stomach growled for the first time.

When I arrived back in camp the fellowship was just beginning to eat dinner. Sam was still serving out the food that he had prepared. I would miss him when he left with Frodo, to be honest I wasn't sure that I trusted Aragorn, Gimli, or Legolas' cooking. Wasn't even too sure about Saffy, it seemed that though we spent so much time together, it was never at her house and when it came to cooking it was normally me.

"Are you hungry, Miss Deirdre?" Sam asked me.

"Yes, thank you Sam." I said with a smile, when my name had been said Legolas had glanced up at me.

He looked slightly uncomfortable to be here. _Welcome to the Awkward zone._ I thought, too bad I didn't have my t-shirt with me. It was from a webcomic that I liked to read, and had a picture of two guys in fancy clothing drinking beer together with the title "Defeat Awkwardness with Maximum Ridiculosity". I took the food that Sam offered me and took a seat beside Merry and Pippin. Glancing around the encampment I noticed that Saffy wasn't here.

"I take it Saffy has yet to return?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"No, she hasn't. But I take from your smile you know where she is?" Aragorn asked.

"Not in the slightest. However, I have a good idea who she is with." I said, my smile once again appearing on my face.

"Oh?" Was the question from the Aragorn as the hobbits piped up with their "Who?"

"You can find out when Saffy comes back." I said smugly.

With a few disgruntled noises at being denied the latest gossip, the conversation lulled.

"So where have you been all this time?" Merry asked me.

"Well, I sparred a little with Saffy, then worked a little on archery and finally went down and relaxed by the river." I said.

I could feel piercing eyes upon as I spoke, and I knew that if I looked up, Legolas would be staring at me. But I kept my eyes averted as I ate my dinner and removed my bow and quiver and set it down on my bed roll.

This was what I was always afraid of. The one time that I had actually started something, it became awkward almost immediately. I was currently wishing that I hadn't kissed him, but the tension had been driving me insane.

It was a quiet somewhat awkward evening, I had been avoiding meeting Legolas' intense gaze. The quiet was brought to an end when Saffy arrived back into camp. She was alone, though I couldn't blame her. As soon as she stepped into camp I jumped up from my seat and quickly rushed to grab her. I grabbed her hand and literally dragged her back to where our bedrolls lay.

"Spill. Or do I have to drag you off into the forest?" I demanded, wanting to know how her day went.

The eyes of the fellowship were upon us as Saffy sighed, she had to have known that this was coming. After all, this was me, and 'girl talk' was well 'girl talk'. She motioned slightly with her head to imply that she would prefer we go into the forest instead of talk about this while the males were within hearing distance.

"Fine." I sighed out, slightly exasperated that she was stalling about spilling, but at the same time I understood that she didn't want the others to hear.

So I stood up and began dragging her into the woods toward the river and away from the rest of the fellowship.

"So, now that the boys are out of hearing distance. Spill." I ordered.

"Alright. Her name is Nimiwen and she is really hot." Saffy said.

"Yeah, well what did you do all day?" I asked.

"We mainly just hung out and talked. We ended up eating at her talan and then I came back to the encampment."

"What is she like?"

"Well, she is an elf but she also has the brave part of her. She's a warrior, you know. She has that more reserved nature in front of people, but she can be a lot of fun."

"And? Do you think that she likes you? Do you like her? Did you get a hug before you came back? Did she walk you part of the way back?"

"I think she may like me, and yeah so far I like her too. She walked me as far as the training fields and yes I got a hug."

I couldn't help it, I squealed. Then jumping up I gave her a tight hug with a massive smile on my face. Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes as Aragorn, Boromir, and Legolas came rushing through the underbrush weapons drawn as they stared at us. I laughed when I saw them.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Aragorn asked, concern flooding his voice.

"I thought you said that the borders of Lothlorien are well guarded?" I teased him.

"They are. But there was a sound that sounded like you were being attacked." Aragorn explained, at this point he Boromir and Legolas all put away their weapons.

"No, that was just Di's happy squeal." Saffy explained.

Their faces made the expression of "Oh", and Boromir turned and walked away into the bushes, shaking his head and chuckling as he went. Obviously he was amused that when I got excited I sounded like I was being murdered.

"Sorry" I muttered, ashamed that I had been causing trouble accidentally.

"Well, as long as you aren't dying." Aragorn said and he and Legolas turned back around heading back to camp.

As soon as they left we both cracked up that my squeal had caused them to come rushing to our aid. It may be different for them having women be put in dangerous situations and fighting through it, that now they were all used to responding and treating us like damsels in distress.

"Anyway. Now your turn. Where did you disappear off to?" Saffy asked, reminding me of the awkward tension between Legolas and I.

I dropped my head into my hands and groaned. Shaking my head back and forth I kept the light from my eyes and my head down as I spoke.

"I kissed Legolas."

Dead Silence. I think the world paused for a moment at that point, at least the world right around me and Saffy.

"Awesome."

"No, not awesome. Right after I kissed him, he had this shocked look on his face, so I just took off. And now it's massively awkward whenever we are in the same area. I can't look him in the eyes."

"I have an idea. Talk to him."

"Oh, yes. Right now I'm going to go walk up to him with everyone around and say 'Sorry I kissed you. If I had known it would bother you I wouldn't have done it.' That's exactly how I want the rest of the fellowship to see me."

"What do you plan on doing then? Just keep going on with the fellowship not looking at him. How do you suppose that is going to work? There are only the ten of us, you have to interact with him at some point." Saffy pointed out.

"I know." I said miserably. "But I don't know how I would go about talking to him about it. You know I have never been good when it comes to taking control."

"Di, you have to do something. You can't just sit back and wait for things to fall apart."

"I know, I just don't know how to do it."

"We should probably head back to camp. I'm sure they are worried about what is going on with us." Saffy said.

We began walking back through the trees to the camp and settled down with the fellowship for the night.

**Legolas' POV**

After the shriek was heard and we went to find if Deirdre and Saffron were alright, we began walking back to the camp. But there was something tugging on my consciousness, we got about halfway back to the camp when I looked to Aragorn.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk." I said to him, he nodded his head understanding that I didn't want to go back to the fellowship. Not right now.

So once he had continued on back to the camp, I turned back around and began walking back toward where we had left the girls. I'm not sure why, but it was tugging on me that I needed to talk to Deirdre and clear the air about earlier. I couldn't understand why she had just taken off. I mean sure, I leaned in first, but she was the one who initiated the kiss as well as the minor wrestling match beforehand.

I waited within the treeline, not wanting to interrupt them but wanting to speak with Deirdre. And because of this I heard their conversation.

"No, not awesome. Right after I kissed him, he had this shocked look on his face, so I just took off. And now it's massively awkward whenever we are in the same area. I can't look him in the eyes." Deirdre said, making me hurt a little inside.

I hadn't known that I had made a shocked face after she had kissed me. But honestly, she did surprise me with the kiss but even more when her soft body left me alone. I thought she had been regretting what had happened, which was why she avoided looking at me at camp.

"I have an idea. Talk to him." Saffron said, that girl was a genius and I only hoped that Deirdre would take her advice.

"Oh, yes. Right now I'm going to go walk up to him with everyone around and say 'Sorry I kissed you. If I had known it would bother you I wouldn't have done it.' That's exactly how I want the rest of the fellowship to see me." Deirdre said sarcastically.

She shouldn't apologize for kissing me, I thought, I should be thanking her and then promptly kissing her myself.

"What do you plan on doing then? Just keep going on with the fellowship not looking at him. How do you suppose that is going to work? There are only the ten of us, you have to interact with him at some point." Saffron pointed out.

"I know." Deirdre said, she sounded miserable as the words came out. "But I don't know how I would go about talking to him about it. You know I have never been good when it comes to taking control."

If that is what it takes to get her to talk to me again, to meet my eyes, then taking control is just a simple matter.

"Di, you have to do something. You can't just sit back and wait for things to fall apart."

"I know, I just don't know how to do it."

"We should probably head back to camp. I'm sure they are worried about what is going on with us." Saffron said.

I heard them stand up and began walking away from both them and the camp, not wanting to show up merely moments before them from the same direction. Or them running into me on the way back to camp. So I took a brisk walk around the wood. My mind churning about how I would fix things with Deirdre. Once the idea had come to me, I turned back around and headed to the encampment.

She was awake when I walked back into the encampment. I had been gone long enough that the others had all lain down for the night and fallen asleep. But her and her restless nights, which more often than not worked in my favor, kept her awake for me to approach.

***End Chapter 11***

Alright everyone, that's it. I apologize in advance but there may be a delay before I can get the next chapter up. I'm going to be in the process of using a new beta, being _Lady of Em,_ rather than having to try and grammar correct it myself. It shouldn't take too very long, but I'm not promising that it will be up by the normal time.

Read and Review :)


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: As always, I own nothing.

***Chapter 12***

**Deirdre's POV**

It was turning out to be another restless night. Every night it was the same thing; I would lie awake for hours trying to find rest, but I would never be tired when it came to the day. For some reason, I was beginning to need less sleep a night. From what I could tell, I was getting about five hours each night. Tonight was no exception. I was lying awake trying my best not to move enough to wake Saffy up. I shifted away from her, trying to avoid any movement that could wake her. My mind was shutting down, but there was no rest to be gained. It was as though I was simply spacing out, yet fully conscious of what was happening around me. My eyes stayed shut in order to block out the light that radiated through the woods.

I sighed as I rolled over onto my other side, trying to find a comfortable position. When a hand covered my mouth, my eyes snapped open and I barely contained the sound trying to escape my throat. Terror filled me for a few seconds, thoughts of what could happen when surprised in the night flooded my mind. And to put it simply, none of the thoughts were happy ones. I quickly found the owner of the offending limb, which just so happened to be Legolas. I released a tense sigh, relaxing knowing that there was no danger. Even though I knew that Lothlorien was safe, I was still a little on edge when it came to someone approaching me in the night.

Legolas pressed a finger to his lips, in the universal signal that I should be quiet. When I nodded my head, he removed his hand from my mouth, and grabbed my hand. When I was standing next to him, he began walking into the forest, dragging me along behind him. We kept walking into the forest for a couple minutes, complete silence fell around us. There was the occasional sound of my breath leaving my lungs and the crunch of grass beneath our feet, but otherwise it was deathly silent as Legolas led me deep into the forest.

After about five minutes of walking deeper into the forest, he must have felt it was a safe distance away from anyone else, as he stopped in a small glade. There was only a small space unobstructed by trees where the undergrowth was not quite so prevalent. Without letting go of my hand, Legolas moved toward one of the trees staring intently at the bark.

Suddenly, I was being forced into the tree with a spin as my back was slammed against the tree. Legolas moved in close to me, as my breathing accelerated with the impact and sudden close proximity to Legolas.

"Why did you run away earlier?" Legolas asked me, diving straight into the subject.

"Ummm." I said, my voice sounding nervous with how close he was to me. "I was afraid how you would react."

I sounded scared and nervous as his scent filled my nose and lungs. He smelled absolutely amazing, the same woodsy scent that I remembered from every time that we came so close to one another. It intoxicated me, and it made my head spin a little.

"Why would you be afraid of my reaction?" Legolas' words came across softly as he leaned further into me, his face coming within a few inches of my own.

"You… you might have been upset with what I did." I stuttered out, he was so close I could almost taste him on my tongue.

"Of course I was upset." He stated plainly, making my fears of rejection return to the surface.

"Oh." I said, the soft word echoing sadly in the night.

"I was upset that you left me there." He said, realization dawned on me.

Although the realization that he wasn't angry with me for kissing him finally came into my mind, it was short lived. As just as soon as the thought crossed my mind, his lips came crashing down on mine. They were soft and warm against my own, and I slid my tongue across his bottom lip. Taking this as his cue, he opened his mouth and began exploring my mouth with his tongue. The kiss gained heat as we dueled for dominance, his hands trailing down to my sides and one wrapped around my back.

A moan escaped my throat and was captured by his lips as I felt his hands press me closer to him. My own arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him into me and feeling his body pressed firmly against mine. The rough bark of the tree scratched against my back through the thin nightgown that I was wearing. And between the soft sensation of Legolas and his lips and the rough texture marring my flesh, I was sighing and moaning as the kiss continued. His lips suddenly left mine, causing me to whimper at the loss of his soft lips. He quickly moved to my neck however, which definitely made up for it. The feeling of his hot kisses against my skin, chilled from the night air, was incredible, drawing another moan from my lips. His lips formed a smirk against my throat as he listened to the sounds that I was making.

I decided that this was definitely not fair, that I was the one making all the embarrassing noises. So I grabbed Legolas' head and brought his lips back my mine, pressing tightly against his body. I could feel him harden against me, which caused me to carefully grind against him. He groaned at the contact and my lips abandoned his moving to the flesh of his neck, I quickly turned him around so that he was pressed against the tree in my place. First my kisses were soft and gentle against him, but soon became rougher. My teeth would occasionally graze his throat, causing him to inhale sharply. Once I heard his reaction, I bit down harshly on his throat. He groaned and his head went back and hit the tree. I ran my tongue over the bite mark to soothe it, causing him to sigh.

"Deirdre." Legolas sighed.

After a few more moments of marking his neck, as I was sure there was going to be hickey later, I looked up at Legolas with the most innocent expression on my face that I could manage.

"Perhaps we ought to return to the encampment for the night." His voice was strained as he said this, trying to control his erratic breathing.

"Is that really what you want?" I asked, my voice low and sultry as I leaned back in pressing another kiss to his throat.

"Ye-yes." Legolas said, his voice stuttering and was interrupted by a groan.

After pressing another open-mouthed kiss to his throat causing another groan to escape his mouth and his head fell back once again. With a smirk I pulled away and detached my body from his. The night air was cold after the loss of his body heat, but I backed up anyway.

"All right." I said, as I began to cross back across the small glade toward the camp.

"Deirdre, wait." Legolas' voice sounded behind me.

"What, Legolas?" I asked, confused as to what he wanted now.

"Were you just going to leave me here?" he asked, somewhat teasing me.

With a smile I turned back and grabbed his hand in mine. When he began moving with me towards the camp, I shifted so that instead of holding his hand I had my arms wrapped around his waist and his left arm was around my shoulders. It was too short a walk back to camp, as I didn't want to have to separate from Legolas. But by the time that we got back, I had actually yawned signaling that I was ready to sleep.

There was a little more light in the encampment than there was in the forest. I moved to my sleeping mat, only to look back over at Legolas who was beginning to settle down to rest as well. I layed down and smiled at him.

"Oh, Legolas. Sorry about your neck." I said, then promptly fell into unconsciousness.

The next morning when I woke up, a good chunk of the fellowship was already awake and the smell of sausages cooking on the fire wafted into my nose. I smiled when I realized that this meant breakfast was almost ready and sat up with a stretch. I glanced around the fellowship in the encampment and noticed that Legolas was gone. I frowned for half a second, but quickly wiped it off my face. Glancing over next to me, I realized that for once Saffy had not awoken before me. An idea struck me on how to wake her, and so I slowly leaned over to her in order to not wake her until I had succeeded in my plan. Leaning in very close with my face right next to hers, I opened my mouth and licked her nose.

"Ewwwww." I heard Saffy say, startling awake to me right up in her face with my tongue still sticking out and her nose wet. "Gross, Di."

I smiled, knowing that Saffy absolutely hated when anyone licked her, especially her nose. It had been a running challenge in our group of friends, to see if anyone could lick her nose because she had said that no one had before. Saffy sat up from her sleeping roll and wiped her nose of any mark from me, then promptly wiped the hand she wiped her nose with on my face. I scrunched up my face, and wiped my face where she had cleaned her hand of spit.

"Thanks, Saffy." I said sarcastically, causing her to laugh.

"Hey, it's your germs." She replied with a smile on her face, it looked like both of us were turning more into morning people every day. After all, it had been over a week since I had cussed anyone out for waking me up.

We settled down with the fellowship, sans Legolas, for breakfast and we all began to eat the food that Sam had prepared. After a while, when most everyone but the hobbits had finished eating, Legolas arrived back in camp. I was taking a drink when I looked up at him. My sip went flying out of my mouth as I looked at him and I could hear Saffy laughing as well.

His neck was covered in hickey's, the red and purple marks across his neck were accompanied by a couple of teeth marks. I had to work to keep red from flushing across my face, but I still had to laugh a little when I saw him. He appeared incredibly confused at the reactions that he was getting from the group when the hobbits joined in on our laughter and Boromir had to slap his hand over his mouth to stop his chuckles.

"Did you get attacked or something?" Boromir asked, still chuckling a little.

I glanced over at Aragorn and noticed that he was laughing as well, and trying to cover it up.

"What?" Legolas questioned, he apparently hadn't seen his neck yet, even though I made that hint to him last night.

"Have you seen yourself?" Saffy laughed out.

"No?" The word came out as a question.

"You should go find a mirror." Saffy told him.

"What are you all laughing about? Why do I need to go find a mirror?" Legolas asked, agitated that no one was saying anything.

"They are laughing at the myriad of bite marks on your neck." Aragorn informed, he was still chuckling.

Legolas visibly paled at this, which only made the other members of the fellowship laugh even more. I was barely giggling, just enough that people wouldn't anticipate that I was the one who had left the marks on his neck.

"So who is the fair elf maiden that has marked you as hers?" Boromir asked, laughing.

"Maybe it was Saffy." Pippin piped up. "She was missing almost all of yesterday."

"Or it could have been DiDi." Merry suggested.

At this point it was my face that froze and undoubtedly paled. Saffy coughed, reminding me that the others could indeed see my face, and I quickly unfroze.

"Well, as much fun as teasing Legolas is about his hickey's. I am going to head off to the archery range and maybe get in a little more practice today." I said, rising from my seat.

"Wait, DiDi. You always like teasing everyone." Pippin pointed out, and it took all I could not to groan.

"True, Pippin. But I figure that I may as well do something useful today." I said, lying quickly to cover up what I was thinking.

"Or she is trying to cover up that she is the one who left the marks on Legolas' neck." Saffy chimed in.

Thankfully my back was turned to the fellowship, as my face turned bright red. I kept going about collecting my bow and quiver for the archery range. Once I felt confident that my face wasn't bright red, I turned back around with a smile on my face aimed at Saffy.

"Or Saffy is trying to avoid telling you all about her new girlfriend." I said, throwing Saffy to the wolves as I made my get away. Which was only fair, considering that she pretty much just outed me to the fellowship.

I rushed off to the archery field, once I heard the questions arise from the hobbits about what exactly I was talking about. I made it to the archery field rather quickly, and drew an arrow placing it in my bow. I fired a few shots before I heard the footsteps coming up behind me. I waited for a moment to be spoken to, but when no noise came and the footsteps halted behind me, I simply finished firing the rest of the arrows in my quiver. Once I walked forward to the tree, the footsteps moved with me. And by the time that I reached the tree and began removing arrows, I had grown impatient with whoever was waiting to talk to me.

Turning around I faced Legolas who looked somewhat sad. My face turned into a frown but I continued collecting the arrows from the tree and placing them in the quiver.

"What is wrong?" I asked him.

"Are you embarrassed that we kissed last night?" He looked sad and dejected when he said this.

"What? Why would you ask that?" I was confused as to what he was saying.

"You didn't admit to the others that you were the one who marked my neck."

I smacked my forehead with the heel of my hand in the action of a face-palm. Then shook it back and forth for a second. Of course that was what he was thinking, that I didn't want them to know about what had happened between us.

"Legolas, I didn't tell them about what happened for two reasons." I began. "One: when we do tell the others about our relationship, I want it to be on our own terms. Not in response to teasing about marks that I left."

As I spoke we began inching closer together, but we didn't kiss just yet. I still had more to say, and we both knew it.

"And second?"

"Second, I don't know what exactly to tell them." I said with a blush.

"I thought that I made my feelings toward you clear."

"And I think mine toward you are equally clear. But that still doesn't exactly make it clear what our relationship is."

"What do you want our relationship to be?"

"Are we courting?" I asked him. "Or are we just going to be make-out buddies or something?"

I looked down and it was bound to be pretty obvious that I was nervous about clarifying our relationship. After all, generally when it came to guys being interested in me, they generally just wanted to sleep with me. So there was always a need to clarify whether or not this was just a casual thing or if we were actually dating.

"I would like to be courting you." Was his resolved response, causing a smile to break out on my face.

When we both had finished talking, he leaned in the rest of the way and gently kissed me. It was slow and sweet compared to the passionate kisses from the night before. His arms wrapped around my lower back drawing me into him, while my hands rested on his chest.

We stayed standing on the edge of the archery range for a few minutes, slowly kissing each other. It was nice and when we finally separated, I made sure to keep his hand in mine. We both practiced with our bows until the sun was setting. Overall, it had remained blatantly obvious that Legolas had much more skill with the bow than I, considering that he almost always hit the exact center of the tree that he aimed at, and I well didn't.

We began walking back to the encampment together, hand in hand, which brought me to thinking.

"Legolas, when are we going to tell the others?" I questioned him.

"I can see no reason why we would either hold off telling them or inform them immediately." He replied.

"True, though Saffy already knows." I told him, I was sure that he would have figured out she would know to some extent.

"I am aware of that. When were you thinking of telling them?" he asked me.

"Maybe we should wait a few days to tell them. After all, the less time that they can tease us while in Lothlorien the better. We probably won't be harassed about it as much once we continue on our journey." I said, hoping that maybe what I had said would be true.

"So we will wait to tell them." Legolas concluded aloud for the both of us.

I nodded my head, by now we were getting close to the encampment. I reluctantly released his hand. He looked over at me slightly saddened at my removal of the physical contact.

"Don't want to let them know yet, remember." I reminded him.

He nodded his head though he still didn't look too very happy about it. I smiled encouragingly up at him. We continued walking into the encampment in silence. We arrived back for dinner and ate with the fellowship, who continued to tease and torment Legolas about the marks on his neck, but he didn't let it faze him at all.

Once again when Saffy returned to the camp after dinner, I dragged her off into the woods to gossip a little more about both of our days. She teased me about the marks left on Legolas' neck today and I laughed when she talked about how the fellowship had teased her this morning. Which I apologized profusely for, but I still told her that she had it coming. I even managed to keep my squeal in check when she told me that she had kissed Nimiwen today.

We returned to the camp, and once the rest of the fellowship had fallen asleep, we snuck off together into the woods just like the night before. Except this time we went deeper into the trees, putting more distance between us and everyone else in the world.

After an extra fifteen minutes of walking to where we had stopped yesterday, Legolas stopped and pressed me back against one of the nearby trees. His lips crashed against mine in a heated kiss. I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my throat as he did this. His tongue slid across my lips and I quickly opened my mouth to him. His hands traveled over my sides, making me sigh throughout the kiss. My own hands traveled up and knotted in his hair, fingers on my right hand brushing softly against the point of his ear. A moan erupted from him as he pushed his body tightly against mine. He pulled away for a moment and looked at me with dilated, lustful eyes. I whimpered when I lost the sensation of his lips against mine and stared up at Legolas, breath coming sharply.

His lips traveled down to my throat where he laid his full kisses, adding the occasional bite into the mix. With every bite that he placed on my throat a sigh escaped me, making my breathing escalate even more. His kisses softened when he reached my collarbone, and the contrast made me moan.

"Legolas?" my voice was breathy as the word came out.

"Hmm?" was his response as he continued kissing along my collarbone.

"Have I told you how incredibly evil you are?" I asked him, my breath coming quickly occasionally interrupted by a moan.

"And why is that, edhelai talien?" he asked me.

"Because if you don't stop, I am going to have marks on my neck identical to yours." I informed him.

"Seems fair to me." He replied, before returning to his work on my neck.

"At least leave them where I can hide them with my hair." I requested not wanting to face the same teasing that he had earlier today.

In compliance with my request, Legolas moved and began biting the side of my neck and where my neck and shoulder connected. My breathing continued it's fast pace as he continued marking me.

Somehow my brain managed to function to the slightest extent, to realize that this was not the first time that he had called me that before, edhelai talien. And I was wondering what he had said in elvish.

"What does that mean?" I asked him.

"What?"

"You called me something, what does it mean?" I asked again, thinking more straightly as he had halted his actions.

"Edhelai talien?" he asked, to which I nodded. "It means 'little elf princess.'"

"Why do you call me that?"

"Because the title fits you."

I frowned but the expression was soon wiped off my face as he brought his lips back to mine. My fingers again went into his hair, only this time, I intentionally ran my fingers around the point of his ear. He groaned and pressed into me, I sighed at the contact and ground myself against him. He suddenly pulled away, leaving my panting frame collapsed against the tree.

"We should stop." Legolas said, his voice coming out strained.

I groaned at his words, this was highly annoying. He would work me up and then immediately stop his actions, leaving the cold air to wrap around me.

"Why do you always get moral just when things are getting good?" I ask him.

He shook his head at me. I could tell that he was paying attention to ensuring that there was a proper amount of distance away from us.

"To protect your honor. If we were to continue going as we were, then we both may do things that we would regret."

"You would regret having sex with me?" I questioned with a roll of my eyes.

"No, I would not. But that doesn't mean that we should, especially not this soon."

"I didn't say that we should have sex tonight. However, you stopping anything from happening every time that you start to lose the slightest bit of control is driving me insane."

"I don't want to lose control with you for fear of things going too far."

"What will happen will happen." I said cryptically, as I pulled him back over to me and pressed my lips to his once again.

We kissed for a time after that, but eventually we had to return to the camp so that we could awaken once again in the morning and pretend that none of this had happened. The twenty minute walk back to the encampment was lovely, I wrapped my arms around his waist once again.

We both retired to our sleeping rolls, only to have Saffy's eyes open when I laid down next to her. She smiled knowingly at me and made the motion of turning a key to lock her lips. I smiled at her and curled up with her, falling to sleep rather easily.

***End Chapter 12***

There's Chapter 12. Read and Review :)


	13. Chapter 13

Hey everyone, we have reached the point where I have to bump the rating up to Mature. There is mature content in this chapter, so here's the warning.

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 13***

**Deirdre's POV**

I awoke to a shout coming from one of the hobbits. I assumed it was Pippin, because when I regained my senses he was sprawled out backwards staring at me shocked, his mouth hanging open.

"What?" I mumbled, still slightly off from just waking up.

"Yo-your eyes were o-open." He stammered out.

I frowned when he said this, of course my eyes were open now. I was awake, but did he mean I had slept with my eyes open?

"What do you mean?"

"You were asleep, but your eyes were open." He said shocked at this, by this point the other members of the fellowship were beginning to gather around.

My face maintained the frown as I looked at the other members. They looked shocked as they looked at me. All but Saffy, who seemed to understand what was happening. I think I was beginning to become more elvish every day. I had noticed that Legolas slept with his eyes open, I guess I was going to become an elf in the end.

"Pippin, what are you talking about?" Aragorn asked.

"Her eyes were open in her sleep. Like Legolas." He clarified.

Every male in the fellowship stared at me intently, trying to make me explain what was going on. Well, news flash, I was still figuring everything out myself. I began feeling really uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the fellowship, and quickly grabbed my bow and quiver and took off to the archery range.

Without looking back, I made my way through the forested path, and upon arrival at the archery range, I quickly began firing. My mind was turning over what the fellowship was thinking about me now. After a few arrows had been fired into the tree target, I heard the sound of footsteps coming up behind me. The person approaching me made no sound to alert me to their presence, merely walking up and patiently waiting by the side. I fired one more arrow into the tree and turned around to face the person waiting for me.

To my surprise, upon turning around I found myself facing Frodo. He looked hesitant to be here, though there was determination yet in his features to speak with me.

"Yeah?" I questioned.

"I was worried about you. You just took off." He replied.

I motioned with me head for us to move over and take a seat by the tree line. Which, once I began moving toward, Frodo did as well. We sat against a large tree, leaning back against it together.

"Sorry about taking off this morning. Just everyone was staring at me and I couldn't take it." I explained to him, my head going back and hitting the tree.

"Do you know why your eyes were open in your sleep?" Frodo asked me, curiosity in his voice.

"Not entirely sure, but I have a pretty good idea."

Frodo nodded his head in encouragement for me to continue.

"I think I may be changing into an elf of some kind. That is pretty much the only explanation that I can give."

"Why do you think that?" he questioned.

"Well, a couple nights ago I went to Galadriel's mirror." I said, then paused glancing over at Frodo's face. "In the mirror was images of me later in life and I was an elf."

Frodo nodded his head, thinking for a moment before looking up at me, as he was a little shorter than I when we both sat down.

"I looked into Galadriel's mirror as well." He said, his voice a mixture of fear and sadness.

"I know." I told him, causing shock to come across his face.

"You know?"

"Yeah, it's kind of complicated. But I pretty much know everything that is going to happen for a while." I explained, letting him know for the first time that I knew what was to come. Under Elrond's advice we hadn't told the fellowship directly that we knew the future. Only Gandalf really knew. Of course we had told the Fellowship that we were from another world, but it could have potentially turned out badly if everyone wanted to know what their fate would be. But I didn't think saying this little would hurt anything, besides it was only advised not to say anything.

"How do you know about things to come?"

"Well, Saffy and I don't exactly come from around here. When we came to Middle Earth we had knowledge of everything that was going to happen on this quest. Which is kind of one of the reasons that we both got to come along, considering that we aren't exactly perfect fighters."

"You knew that Gandalf would fall?" his voice came out horrified, he began to pull away from me.

"Yeah, I knew. But I also have faith that sometimes death isn't forever." I informed him, he didn't move back to sitting against me, but it was better than the shocked face and minor disgust that had been splayed across his face before.

"You think he will come back?"

"I think so, I don't really know how I am affecting the world or if I am at all. But there is a chance that he won't be gone forever."

Frodo nodded his head, and finally settled back against me, his head laying against my shoulder.

"I don't really know what I should do anymore." Frodo said sadly, there was little to no hope left in his voice. "I think Galadriel means for me to continue on to destroy the ring alone."

"She does." I state simply, looking down at Frodo once more there is a look of sadness on his face that he will be completing this quest alone. "But sometimes alone isn't as alone as we think that it is."  
"What do you mean?" he asked.

"There are still people who you can trust, who belong with you. Don't be too hasty to throw away your closest friends." I told him, hoping that he would take my words to heart and trust Sam.

He nodded his head and rested against my shoulder once more. I moved my arm and wrapped it around his shoulders, tugging him into me. We sat like this for a time. I don't know what it was about Frodo, maybe that he was a hobbit and so small, but I couldn't help but treat him like a child. And right now, he was like a child who needed to be comforted. Maybe it was just my maternal instincts kicking in early. No matter what it was, Frodo was hurting from both the loss of Gandalf and the weight of the ring. After about 10 minutes of just sitting here in companionable silence, Legolas came into the practice field and found us.

"Hey." I said quietly to him, causing Frodo to look up at Legolas, I think he had fallen asleep sitting next to me, or was close to it.

"Hello." Legolas said almost as quietly.

"Do you want to take a seat and join us?" I asked.

He nodded his head and sat down on the other side of me, there wasn't really enough room for him to lean against the tree along with Frodo and I, but he seemed content just to be joining us.

"Are you alright?" Legolas asked me.

"Fine, just needed to get away." I answered softly.

He nodded his head and we fell into silence. I shifted a little, turning so that I was laying against Legolas more than the tree, with my head on his shoulder, and Frodo was laying against my chest. Then I shut my eyes and relaxed in the comfort of the body heat radiating into me.

I lost track of a good amount of time, not really focusing on anything and simply enjoying the peaceful time that we had left here in Lothlorien. The time before our worlds got upturned once again by the quest to destroy the ring. However, when I felt Frodo rising from his place lying against me, my eyes opened.

"What's up?" I asked, my voice picking up a slight hint of sleepiness.

"I'm going to head back to camp." Frodo explained, he leant back over and gave me a hug which I returned. "Thanks for the talk."

"Anytime."

As Frodo walked off, I leaned back against Legolas. Glancing up there was a questioning expression on his face.

"What?" I questioned.

"Why do you run off this morning?" he asked me, as he shifted so that now he was leaning against the tree, then he pulled me between his legs so that I laid back against his chest.

"Because everyone was staring at me." I replied, leaning against him and shutting my eyes.

"Well, we were rather confused as to what was going on." He reasoned, I could understand that, but I still wasn't the happiest with that.

"That doesn't mean that I should be ostracized as a freak for something weird happening." I replied, the agitation seeping into my voice.

In response to this, Legolas hushed me quietly and ran his fingers through my hair. I relaxed a little more into him as he did this.

"I know, melanim." He told me, trying to soothe my agitation, which he was succeeding in doing.

"You want to know what happened this morning." I stated my assumption. There was much less annoyance in my voice now but there remained a slight amount.

"Only if you want to tell me. I trust you." He said, bringing his face to nuzzle into my neck a little and place a few kisses there.

I sighed at his actions and my arms, which I had unknowingly crossed in my mood, fell from across my chest and rested on his legs. He continued this action for a while, occasionally eliciting a soft laugh or a squeak from me as he brushed the sensitive parts of my neck lightly.

Finally I decided that I should explain a little to him about what was going on with me. That I thought maybe I was becoming an elf of some kind, explaining about Galadriel's mirror but not about the elf in my dream. He nodded his head, we sat back and relaxed for a little while.

"I spoke with Lady Galadriel as well." He admitted, causing a look of confusion to cross my face.

"Oh?"

"I was somewhat worried about what I was feeling for you. She gave me some reassurances." He told me.

"What were you worried about?"

"That falling in love with you would be a bad idea." He explained in the most general way, he was afraid that I would die and he would fade.

"Ah." I said. "I wish I could give you a reassurance that I will live through the end of this quest, and that everything will be all right for us in the end. But in all good conscience I can't. Not when I am uncertain." I was rambling at this point.

"Hush, melanim." He said then he turned my head and brought his lips to mine.

I sighed into the kiss, and when it ended I relaxed against him once more. We continued sitting there for several minutes. Until I decided that I needed something productive, so I stood up from my position sitting against Legolas and immediately felt the cool air rush against my back where he had kept me warm. He frowned up at me as I turned back to face him.

"I figured I should do something productive, so I thought that I would practice with the bow again. You can join me if you like."

"Are you really that nervous about your aim?" he questioned.

"Yes, I want to be able to shoot as well as you one day."

He actually laughed at me when I said that. I understood that it wasn't going to happen, but it shouldn't be so far off that one day I would be able to shoot arrows close to what he could do. I put a false pout on my face at his response and turned my back to him, marching over to where I had left my arrows in the tree and removing them.

I was about halfway down taking all the arrows from the tree and placing them in my quiver when I felt arms go around my waist, and Legolas rested his chin on top of my head. Since he wasn't completely obstructing my arms, I continued to pull the arrows from the tree and replaced them in the quiver.

"I'm sorry if I upset you. But I have been shooting with my bow for over two thousand years. I do not believe that you can reach that skill level any time soon, especially not while we are on a quest that you won't be able to practice every day during."

"I could if you shot poorly on purpose." I told him as I turned around in his arms. "Or I can just be better than you at other things."

"I am sure that you are more skilled than I am in many ways." He said to placate me as he placed a kiss on my lips.

"Awesome." I said with a smile, then pulling away I collected the last arrow from the tree and walked from the tree with Legolas following. "Now that we have agreed on that, I'm going to practice."

Legolas chuckled a little and shook his head back and forth, clearly amused at my behavior. But he moved aside, and I shot my quiver of arrows into the tree as he stood by and watched. My aim was improving as most of the arrows struck their mark and all of them hit the tree, which I was exceedingly happy about, it meant that I didn't have to search through the underbrush to find them.

After I shot through my quiver of arrows and collected them from the tree, Legolas joined me in firing his arrows for practice.

"No." I told him, walking over and putting my hand on his bow. "You aren't allowed to practice anymore. You already have 2000 years on me. I'm not letting you get anymore."

Legolas laughed again and reassured me that he would stop practicing. He leaned against a tree and watched me fire the arrows. The rest of the day continued much like that, occasionally he would tease me about something or another and I would argue with him. Every dispute would be solved quickly with a kiss. By the time that the sun was setting, I had long since given up practicing and was sitting under a tree with Legolas.

"We should return to camp, huh?" I asked him.

"I am sure that the others are worried about you." He said.

I nodded my head and stood up, grabbing his hand and began marching back to camp, with Legolas in tow. When we came within a minute's walk of camp we once again dropped hands, as we had become accustomed to doing.

Upon arrival in camp, I was surprised to see Saffy sitting with the rest of the fellowship. Even more surprised when she stood up as soon as she saw me and grabbed my hand as soon as I had dropped my bow and quiver. She dragged me off into the woods and I didn't even have time to protest. We reached our 'girl talk' grove and she sat me down on a large rock. I looked up at her and there was a smile on her face.

"Best day ever." Saffy told me.

She then proceeded to go into details of her day with Nimiwen and all the sweet things that she did. How Saffy was worried about having to leave Lothlorien and wouldn't get to see Nimiwen for a while, if ever again. The conversation turned to my day after Saffy had significantly gushed about her fantastic day, I told her about my talk with Frodo and the time spent with Legolas. She then proceeded to tease me about coming back to the encampment with Legolas in the middle of the night, which I pretty much stuck my tongue out and ignored her teasing.

We returned to the camp after a time and sat back down with the fellowship and no one questioned me about what had happened that morning. I was pretty sure that either Frodo or Legolas had told them what was going on and that they should leave me alone. I was pretty much just going to let them think what they would and really didn't want to bother with it.

Again that night when the rest of the fellowship had fallen asleep, Legolas and I wandered off from the group into the trees for our nightly make-out session. After many heated kisses and Legolas once again cutting short our midnight tryst in the woods, we returned to the camp and fell asleep.

Days in Lothlorien followed this general pattern. I would practice with my bow throughout the day and wander down to the river to wade in the icy water, usually I was accompanied by either Legolas or Frodo. Saffy would return around nightfall and we would disappear into the forest to have our 'girl talk'. And every night, I would sneak off into the woods to spend time with Legolas. We had spent around a week in Lothlorien before it was decided that we were going to be heading out in two days' time.

On the evening that we found out we would soon be leaving Lothlorien, Legolas and I decided that it would probably be best that we tell the fellowship that we were courting, I can't believe that I was actually using that terminology.

"So, ummmm. Legolas and I have something to tell you." I said aloud, hoping that telling them would be like ripping off a band-aid, best when done quickly.

There was a questioning look from everyone in the fellowship, well minus Legolas, Saffy and I.

"Deirdre and I are courting." Legolas announced for me, making a slight rush of air leave my lungs.

A moment of silence. Until Pippin and Merry started making jokes about the marks that had been on Legolas' neck, I had never been so grateful that elves healed faster than humans since the hickey's had disappeared rather quickly. Boromir actually choked a little on his food, causing me to crack up. Aragorn looked completely unfazed, as though he expected this. And Gimli, well he looked as though he really didn't care. Both Sam and Frodo remained rather silent, Sam was still cooking as the hobbits, mainly Merry and Pippin, were almost never full. And Frodo was quiet as he ate his dinner.

After a few minutes of the teasing I decided that I was through with the teasing and wanted to change the subject. So I did what I did best, threw Saffy under the bus with teasing.

"So, Saffy? When are you going to bring your girlfriend to meet us?" I questioned, which then drew the attention of Merry and Pippin to messing with her as well.

"Do I really have to?" she asked me.

"Yes you do. There are no parents here, someone has to approve the people you date." I informed her.

To which Saffy groaned and face-palmed. She was going to be incredibly irritated with me if I kept mothering her. But there was nothing wrong with a little bit of harmless teasing, well relatively harmless.

"Don't worry, darlin'. I'm sure that she will pass with flying colors." I reassured her.

The rest of the night passed rather uneventfully, the teasing of Merry and Pippin began dying down. When the fellowship had fallen asleep, Legolas came over to me and I got up. We walked back out to our glade in the forest.

Legolas pushed me roughly against one of the trees. He had learned rather early on that I had liked it when he did rougher actions. When he alternated between biting and kissing my neck for instance, I was completely in love with him. He managed the perfect combination of harsh and gentle. His lips descended upon mine, and he pressed me firmly against the tree, his body flush with mine. I moaned at the contact.

My hands flew up and into his hair, brushing against the sensitive tips of his ear. His body shuddered a little when I did this. After that first time of accidently brushing his pointed ears, I had learned just how much of an erogenous zone they were. Even my points were incredibly sensitive, which Legolas had no qualms about using. Every night he would heighten my senses to a painful point, only to pull away leaving me trembling with desire against the tree. Each night he stopped me from going any further than he believed was allowable. All in all, I was going insane.

Tonight however, I wasn't planning on letting him leave me in such a tense state. As he heatedly kissed me, his hands traversed my torso. Dancing along the plains of my stomach, his fingers finally brushed against my hardening nipples through the thin lacy material of my nightgown. A moan issued out of my throat, making Legolas more confident in his movements. His fingers moved to the small lacing at the top of my nightgown, quickly unlacing the strings. With the slight top section of my nightgown undone, he moved his hands inside my nightgown, grasping my breasts.

I gasped, which turned into a moan as he squeezed my breasts. His calloused fingers brushed across my nipples, making an incredible sensation. A sigh escaped my mouth and entered his. When his lips finally released mine, I took a deep breath, which was cut off as he tweaked my nipples. My head lolled back and hit the tree behind me, mind overruled by the pleasure.

His head dipped down and began leaving marks along my neck, bites intermixed with kisses. Moans and sighs echoed from my mouth, I was silently praying that he wouldn't stop now. I didn't think that I could stand to be left unsatisfied once more tonight. My hands left his hair and traveled down his chest as he continued to massage my breasts with his hands. Reaching the bottom of his undershirt, which he slept in, my hands slipped under the material. I could feel the hard plains of his stomach. He was incredibly well built. Not scarily over-muscled like some guys were, but he had a compact muscular form. I grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up. He had to remove his hands from me as I pulled the shirt up over his head. Dropping it unceremoniously to the ground, I eyed his muscled chest.

The word that I could use to describe him was clear in my mind. He was incredibly yummy. With that thought racing through my head I leaned forward and ran my hands over his chest. Finally, I had moved forward enough that the entirety of his scent filled my nose. My lips pressed to his chest, moving up to his collarbone, placing openmouthed kisses. It was his turn to moan, his head going back a little. I moved my arms around to his back, raking my nails down his back. He gasped, which then turned into a moan.

He must have had enough as he shoved me back against the tree, the rough bark biting at my skin through the nightgown. He pressed into me, and I could feel how hard he was against me. His lips descended down, starting at my neck and began working downward. He moved across my chest and down toward my breast, his other hand grasping the other breast and kneading the flesh. My head went back and hit the tree, a moan leaving my throat. I raked my nails across his chest, eliciting a moan from him. Finally, his mouth captured my nipple, biting down gently.

"Legolas" I sighed out, delighting in the way he touched me.

With his other hand he rolled my nipple between his fingers, and every movement he made caused a sound to escape my mouth. Acting purely on instinct, my hands traveled back down his chest, over his stomach. I found the lacing of his leggings, quickly I unfastened them. As soon as I finished with the ties, my hands slipped inside. I grabbed his hardened cock, he groaned at the feel. My thumb ran over his head and his mouth left my breast. His head resting on my now bare shoulder, as the strap of my nightgown had fallen exposing more of my flesh to the open air.

My hands began to work him, and with every movement he made another sinful noise. I loved the sounds that I was causing him to make. A tiny part of me wanted to do more to him, slowly as I pumped him that part of me grew. With one hand I worked his shaft, and with the other I began pulling his leggings down, successfully freeing him from the constrictive clothing. His head moved from my shoulder, looking at me. A deviant smile crossed my lips.

Slowly I began moving down, lowering myself to my knees before him. I was at the perfect height, I moved my head forward and took him into my mouth. I began moving my head up and down on him, slowly taking more of him in with each movement, and when I reached his tip my tongue swirling around him quickly and was followed by my descent back down on him. I couldn't get all of him in my mouth, considering that I was really new to this and he was really large and kept growing. So the part of him that wouldn't fit in my mouth, I pumped with my hand.

His hands moved down and intertwined in my hair, he unknowingly brushed the points of my ears. A moan erupted from my mouth, causing one of his own to follow swiftly, as I continued to suck him, loving the taste of his flesh in my mouth. He began mumbling words that I didn't understand, words from the various elvish languages crossing his lips as he grew nearer and nearer to climax. Finally a word that I could understand left his mouth, he said my name. If it wasn't for the fact that I had so much of him in my mouth I would have smiled, but as it was my mouth was suitably full. So instead I continued working him with my mouth.

"Oh, Valar." He muttered, followed quickly by another "Deirdre".

His body tensed for a moment as he grew incredibly close. He moaned my name once more, before his hot seed flowed into my mouth. I had managed to get him far enough into my mouth and down into my throat enough that the seed for the most part shot straight down my throat. But part of it stayed on my tongue, tasting sweet. Finally, I pulled him from my mouth, licking the tip of his cock once more before I rose from my knees in front of him.

He was breathing heavily as he stood there, staring at me. His hand was against the tree, bracing him so that he wouldn't fall. His mouth hung open as the breath went rapidly in and out of his mouth. I smiled devilishly up at him, leaning back against the tree.

After a moment or so, he leaned back down and kissed me softly. Not the usual passionate kiss that we normally shared at night when we were hidden away from the rest of the fellowship, it was soft and sweet and tentative.

"We should go back." I told him once he had pulled away.

He nodded his head, I wasn't entirely sure he was able to talk right now. I reached down and pulled his leggings back up from their place on his mid-thighs and laced them slowly, my hands brushing against his cock as I did so. That being done, I bent back down, hearing Legolas gasp at my movement. I grabbed his shirt from the ground. Obviously he had been thinking that maybe I was going to give him another blowjob, even though I just retied his pants. I put his shirt in his hands, my own hands moving to retie the lacing on the top of my nightgown. My ample bust was placed back into my top and my nipples still could be seen through the thin material.

He had managed to put his shirt back on, which I was a little disappointed in, I liked to see him shirtless. But it was necessary that he put it back on for when we headed back to the camp. I grabbed his hand and began dragging him back through the trees. When he started to follow and walk on his own, I moved my arms so that I was wrapped around his waist. His arm instantly went around my shoulders as we walked.

When we had reached the edge of the camp, I paused for a moment and Legolas paused with me. I stood up on my tip toes and brushed my lips softly against his. Then dropped back down and smiled up at him.

"Good night, Legolas." I whispered, making sure to be quiet.

"Quel dome, melanim." He replied, then we both headed over toward our bedrolls. **Good night, my love.**

As I laid down I yawned contentedly and snuggled up next to Saffy. After a few moments, sleep claimed me.

***End Chapter 13***

Hope you liked the chapter everyone. Read and Review.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 14***

**Deirdre's POV**

The morning before we were going to leave the safety of Lothlorien was filled with preparations, preparations which I could almost guarantee would continue throughout the day. The clothes that the elves of the Golden Wood had so kindly washed for us needed to be re-claimed, the food needed to be prepared, and we had to make sure that nothing was being left behind here. Plus I was getting another bath, which made me highly excited, as bathes were not common when traveling. Although, since we would be traveling along the river for several days I would at least get the icy bath.

Saffy of course wanted to go see Nimiwen again today, which no one could grudge her for. It would be the last time that Saffy would have some time in private with the elf that she loved. So while she was spending the day with Nimiwen at her talan, I was taking care of Saffy's preparations as well as my own.

The flurry of activity within the camp continued most of the day, I kept having to force myself to keep working and not get bored and decide to find something else to do, as was what usually happened when I was supposed to be doing something. Typically when this was looking like this was going to happen, there would be a random object thrown at me, generally coming from the hobbits and Legolas. After the second boot to my head, I was really trying to concentrate on packing everything up.

As the sun was setting and the preparations for our departure aside from packing our sleeping attire and bags into the boats were complete, Saffy showed back up at the camp with a blonde elf woman in tow. They walked with their hands clutched together, a smile on Saffy's face while the elf looked a little nervous. She was probably a little afraid of what her girlfriend's friends would think of her. She was lovely, with pale golden hair that looked like the moonlight which trickled through the trees on a clear night. Her eyes were a beautiful pale blue, looking like the waters of the river. She had the classic elven beauty, with gentle eyebrows and strong cheekbones.

As soon as they entered the camp, I rose from my seat near our packs. I paused for a moment before moving over toward them.

"Hello there. You must be Nimiwen. I'm Deirdre." I told her, my way of greeting her as elven etiquette on introductions wasn't my specialty.

"Yes, I am Nimiwen. Saffy has told me much about you." She said with a gentle smile, her voice coming out as softly as every other elf's smooth voice.

The way that she said 'Saffy' instead of 'Saffron' like everyone else did sounded incredibly natural. She had a confidence about her that I knew was derived from her being a warrior. All in all, my first impression of the elf maid was rather good. I glanced over slightly at Saffy who was still smiling. I decided that I approved of her, she was making Saffy happy and that is what mattered most.

"This is the rest of the fellowship." Saffy said, pointing out the other members of the fellowship and naming them for Nimiwen.

She gave a nod to each of them in greeting, looking more confident as the meeting continued. I guess this was pretty much the equivalent of meeting Saffy's family, as she had none here. And the fellowship could theoretically count as family, it was a close group.

Nimiwen visibly relaxed after a while, understanding that since her first impression had been successfully achieved without anyone throwing anything at her or insulting her she didn't need to be so formal.

"Don't worry, we don't bite." I told her as I moved back over to my place by Saffy and I's packs. It wasn't exactly a lie, I mean for the most part we didn't bite. And we definitely wouldn't bite her.

She laughed softly. Then Saffy and her moved and took a seat on one of the benches. We chatted easily about Nimiwen and her family. Where she lived and how she came to be part of the guard, as normally the female elves weren't actually part of the armed troops. Instead of just being able to protect herself in the time of a crisis, Nimiwen was a true warrior maiden.

Night fell, deciding that it would probably be best to disperse the group and retire for the night Nimiwen rose from her seat next to Saffy. Saffy seemed to be wavering on the decision of whether she should stay the night with Nimiwen or remain with the fellowship.

"Saffy, why don't you go? I can get your pack down to the boats in the morning and will just meet you there." I told her, motioning for her to go and spend as much time with her love as possible before we had to leave Lothlorien.

She smiled gratefully at me, then she and Nimiwen took off into the forest together. I smiled as I settled myself down onto my bedroll, it was going to be the first night since Saffy had arrived in Middle Earth that I would be sleeping alone. It felt strange not having the body heat radiating next to me. Suddenly, I heard movement coming toward me.

Rolling over to face the origin of the sound, I saw Legolas had brought his bed roll over and was setting it down next to mine. I smiled at this. Sure it wasn't exactly appropriate, but truthfully I didn't care.

"I thought you would like some company since Saffron is gone tonight." He informed me, as he laid down on his bedroll.

"Thanks." I said, once he had settled down on his back I moved closer to him and rested my head on his chest, one arm draped across his torso.

I fell into a lovely sleep, snuggled up with Legolas. My mind filled with sweet thoughts as his scent filled my lungs so entirely.

The morning came all too soon, I tried to hold onto the last tendrils of sleep. Not wanting to face the world where we left sanctuary and continued on toward death and torment. But there was no chance of clinging to sleep, considering the elf that I was currently using as a pillow was beginning to rise and attempting rouse me as he did this.

"Time to wake up, Deirdre." His gentle voice swept into my semi-conscious state.

"Uh-uh. Five more minutes." I said, snuggling into his chest more.

His chest rumbled a little beneath my head as he laughed at my response. I was sleepy and wanted my sleepy time. He however had no intention of giving it to me however. As he raked his fingers through my hair gently, brushing against the tip of one of my pointed ears.

"Mmmm." I said, a smile crossing my face. The arm that was draped across him tightened holding him closer to me.

"Come along, melanim. It's time to awaken." He told me once more attempting to gently rouse me.

"Non, mon chere. Je desire beaucoup de dormir." **No, my dear. I want lots of sleep.** I told him, slipping into French. I wasn't sure why it happened, but sometimes when I was half-asleep the language center in my brain stopped working and French came out instead of English.

"Deirdre?" he questioned.

"No, je dors."** No, I'm sleeping.** I told him once more. "Je te n'aime pas maintenant." **I don't love you right now.**

He finally began shaking me, which caused me to lose my grasp on the slight amount of sleep that I had been clinging to. I stretched when my eyes cleared, I had gotten relatively used to sleeping with my eyes open.

"Are you alright?" he questioned, worry clearly coming across his face.

"Yeah, of course. Why do you ask?" I generally didn't remember a lot of what I said in my sleep, there was normally a small amount from when I was on the edge of consciousness but it was a little fuzzy.

"You began speaking in a strange tongue that I didn't understand." He explained.

"Oh, yeah. That was probably French." I told him, yawning as I spoke to him.

"French?" he questioned.

"How about I explain after we have left? It will probably get a little confusing."

He nodded his head and I rose from my seated position. Grabbing my pack and heading into the forest to change into my traveling clothes. I re-emerged from the trees when I had changed into a flowing green dress. I had gotten used to wearing dresses by now. Though fastening my own corset without Saffy's assistance was a disadvantage to her staying over at Nimiwen's talan last night.

When I arrived back most of the fellowship was awake and Sam was, as always, making breakfast. The meal passed quickly, there wasn't a lot of chatter, as everyone was a little nervous about leaving Lothlorien. Gimli looked downright depressed.

Once breakfast was finished, we all gathered our packs and began walking to the part of the river that we would be departing from. When we reached the spot where the boats waited on the edge of the bank, I saw that Saffy and Nimiwen were already waiting for us there. I moved over and stood next to Saffy.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey." She responded.

"You a little nervous too?"

"Just a little." She replied.

We loaded our packs into the boat that lay directly behind us. I wasn't exactly sure how the seating arrangement was going to work out. But right now I wasn't too very worried about it. Instead I was just focusing on getting my pack in the boat and calming my nerves enough that I didn't make myself sick. We had a few more days before anything bad happened. As I was focusing on getting everything arranged in the boat, I was stressing out a little so I went mildly OCD in wanting everything to look pretty as well as fit, Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn arrived. Saffy had to grab my arm and pull me away from the boats so that I would join the line of us.

Elves approach the line of the ten of us, fastening cloaks around our necks. I held as still as possible, not wanting to cause any trouble for the elf who was fastening the cloak about me.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people. May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes." Lord Celeborn announced.

Galadriel approaches the first of our line, an elf behind her holding a bow in his arms.

"My gift for you, Legolas, is a bow of the Galadhrim, worthy of the skill of our woodland kin." Once Galadriel had announced the gift for Legolas, the elf who held the bow presented it to him.

Legolas looked like a kid on Christmas who just got the toy that he wanted most. There was a slight echoing in my mind when I looked at him, "You'll shoot your eye out" from _A Christmas Story_. I smiled as I watched him examine the bow in wonder. Galadriel moved on in front of Merry and Pippin.

"These are daggers of the Noldorin. They have already seen service in war. Do not fear, young Peregrin Took. You will find your courage." She reassured him as he looked up at her fearfully when he had been given his dagger.

Both Merry and Pippin grasped their daggers and smiled back up at Lady Galadriel. She moved on to stand before Sam.

"And for you Samwise Gamgee: Elven rope, made of hithlain." She told him, as the rope was presented to him.

Sam smiled politely and nodded his head at the gift, making sure to keep his manners.

"Thank you, my lady." He told her, then glancing over at Merry and Pippin who held the daggers they had received from Galadriel. "Have you run out of those nice, shiny daggers?"

Galadriel smiled warmly down at him, amused at what he asked. She then moved on in front of Gimli, who looked down at the ground when she stood before him.

"And what gift would a Dwarf ask of the Elves?" she asked him.

"Nothing." He grunts still looking at the ground. But changes his mind and looks up at Galadriel. "Except to look upon the Lady of Galadhrim one last time, for she is more fair than all the jewels beneath the earth."

I barely contained the awww that wanted to escape when he said this, it was so obvious that he had fallen for the elven lady that he had called an evil sorceress when we had entered the woods. I smiled at his reactions, it was so sweet that he had fallen in love with her. He turned around and began to walk away, but quickly changed his mind. Turning back to look up at Galadriel to make his request.

"Actually, there is one thing- agh, that's quite impossible. Stupid to ask." He said, Galadriel shook her head and leaned down so that Gimli might make his secret request.

When she had listened to his request a lovely smile crossed her face. She looked down fondly at the dwarf who looked quite abashed. She nodded her head in assurance that she would give him the gift that he had requested. She then moved away from the red Gimli, to stand before Aragorn and smile at him. Her hand went to his chest, laying upon the Evenstar pendant, his gift from Arwen.

"I have nothing greater to give, than the gift you already bear. Am meleth dîn. I ant e-guil Arwen Undómiel…pelitha." **For her love, I fear the grace of Arwen Evenstar…will diminish.** Galadriel told him, she smiled gently at him. His face showing sadness at her words.

"Aníron i e broniatha ar periatham amar hen. Aníron e ciratha a Valannor." **I would have her leave these shores, and be with her people… I would have her… take the ship to Valinor.**

"That choice is yet before her. You have your own choice to make, Aragorn… to rise above the height of all your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness… with all that is left of your kin." She told him.

"Namarie. Nadath na i moe cerich." **Farewell. There is much you have yet to do. **She told him.

" Dan…ú-'eveditham, Elessar." **We shall not meet again, Elessar.** She concludes.

Galadriel moves away from Aragorn and moved before Saffy. Nimiwen was the elf who stood behind Galadriel, holding the gift for Saffy in her arms.

"For you, Saffron, armor of the Golden Wood. So that you may be forever protected as you were in the embrace of Lothlorien." Galadriel explained, she was presented with beautiful leather armor, there was a chain shirt which went along with it. It was a good amount of armor and I couldn't help but think that maybe this gift had something to do with Saffy courting one of the elves of Lothlorien.

"Thank you, Lady Galadriel." Saffy said, nodding her head as she took the armor.

"I believe that Nimiwen has something for you as well." Galadriel stated, then moved to stand before me.

"Deirdre, keep faith in what you know. Your courage will save many lives. For you, dual long swords. They have never seen war, but were crafted for the hands of a fair elf maid." She stated, the two swords were presented to me. The hilts of the swords were beautifully decorated, to look like vines traversed the sides and leather was bound around the grip.

"Thank you." I told her nodding my head.

"Do not fear. You are brave. Follow your instincts." She told me, then moved on to speak with Frodo.

"Farewell, Frodo Baggins. I give you the light of Earendil, our most beloved star." She said as she handed him the small vial that held the light of the star.

Frodo nodded his head at Galadriel in thanks. Then she backed away, leaving us to load into our boats. We were given four boats, dividing up so that Saffy and I would ride in one boat, Gimli and Legolas in another, Aragorn would ride with Frodo and Sam, and Boromir rode with Pippin and Merry.

We pushed the boats into the water, waving goodbye to the elves who stood on the shore to watch us go. Strangely enough, Galadriel had already left the group who bade us farewell. As we pushed off, I noticed Saffy blowing a kiss to Nimiwen, who had tears in her eyes at our departure.

It was silent for a few minutes of rowing, glancing at the shoreline on the side as I propelled the boat that Saffy and I were in, I saw Galadriel standing among the trees her hand raised in a sign of parting. I smiled and nodded my head to her. The voyage continued in silence for a short time, until Gimli broke the silence, tears in his eyes as he reflected upon his meeting Galadriel.

"I have taken my worst wound at this parting, having looked my last upon that which is fairest. Henceforth, I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me." He stated, his voice carrying over to the other boats as we were all rather close together.

"What was it?" he asked Gimli.

"I asked for one hair from her golden head." He paused for a moment, then continued with a watery smile on his face. "She gave me three."

Legolas smiled at him as he paddled their boat. I made a quiet 'awww' sound as I heard what Gimli had gotten, it was just so sweet.

After a few more minutes of the silent travel, Legolas looked over to my boat. Apparently he had remembered my foreign babbling this morning and had decided that it was time for me to explain.

"Deirdre, what was that French that you were speaking earlier?" he asked me.

"Well, French is a foreign language. Kind of like the common tongue being different from Elvish or Dwarvish." I explained.

"Where did you learn this French?" he asked me, contemplating where this language had originated from.

"I learned it at school, our school offered languages as classes. I took French and Saffy took another foreign language, Spanish." I explained to him.

"Why did you speak it in your sleep?" he asked me.

"Well, the most effective way to learn a new language is immersion. And the only way I could hit immersion was being able to think in the language. So I used to translate songs as best as I could from English, or the Common tongue, to French." I told him. "I guess it's just kind of a habit that I picked up."

"Oh. Do you know many songs in French?" he enquired.

"I know some songs that I learned in French class, but not too many." I told him.

He nodded and we fell silent for a few minutes. Then a thought struck me, I definitely wasn't entirely sure how the education system in Middle Earth worked.

"How did you learn all the different languages that you know?" I questioned.

"I had tutors who taught them to me. Elves also have some inane ability to speak languages, maybe because we develop slower than mortals and therefore can learn more at a younger age." He explained.

I nodded my head, thinking about how that could definitely work in the elves' favor.  
Plus, since children picked up languages the fastest, since elves remained children longer they would definitely be able to learn languages faster.

Silence ensued around the fellowship and the constant playlist of music in my head wasn't working to keep me entertained.

"Saffy, I'm bored." I half whined as I continued to paddle the boat down the river.

"How do you want me to fix that?" Saffy replied, mostly sarcastic.

"Oooh, we could play ten fingers." I suggested.

"Why is that always your suggestion?" she asked me, exasperation leaking into her voice.

"Cause it's a good way to get to know people." I told her, then turning to face the rest of the fellowship. "So are you guys game?"

"What is ten fingers?" Legolas questioned.

"It's a game, like I've never. Where everyone holds up ten fingers to start with, and everyone says something that they have never done. And if you have done it then you lower a finger. The person who runs out of fingers first loses." I explained. "So do you all want to play?"

"I guess it can't do any harm." Aragorn stated.

"Alright, I'll start." I said, thinking for a moment. "I've never been to a mortal kingdom in Middle Earth." I decided I may as well start off cheap.

I noticed that Boromir obviously put a finger down, as did Aragorn. But other than that everyone's fingers stayed in place.

"Your turn Saffy." I told her.

"I've never used a bow as a weapon." She said, staring straight at me, to which I stuck my tongue out as I dropped a finger.

"I've never been to the ocean." Legolas said, only Saffy and I put fingers down.

"I've never been bested in a drinking contest." Gimli announced proudly, I dropped a finger. While it may not have been the type of drinking that he was referring to, I had lost many chugging contests.

Merry and Pippin also had to drop a finger, I think that they had probably bested one another over the years.

"I've never dodged responsibility." Boromir said, sounding proud. He was probably referring to all the times that he had defended his city and bent to his fathers will, though it was also minorly insulting Aragorn as he did this.

The only ones who didn't drop a finger were Sam and Gimli when Boromir said this. I don't think that Merry and Pippin had ever done the responsible thing before this quest, after all they were trouble makers.

"I've never been in love." Merry said.

Several fingers dropped, including mine, Legolas', Aragorn's, and Sam's. I wasn't sure if I was in love with Legolas, but I had loved one of my best friends. But for once, that wasn't what I was counting. For once, it was feelings that were quite possibly returned. And I was loving it.

"I've never been in a war." Pippin said.

Boromir and Aragorn dropped their fingers. The war had long since moved to Gondor where Boromir fought for his people, while Aragorn was old enough to have fought in several wars.

"I've never been so drunk that I had to be helped back home." Sam said, looking over at Merry and Pippin. Both of which dropped a finger, along with Gimli and Boromir.

"I've never had a crush on a barmaid." Frodo said, glancing at Sam.

"Clarification: does it have to be a barmaid or does a bartender count?" I questioned.

"Bartender counts." Frodo stated.

"Damn." I muttered, as I dropped yet another finger. At this point I was down to three fingers at this point.

The game continued on, ending with my fingers running out first. Personally I think that Saffy was trying to get me out on purpose, so in exchange I began aiming my statements at things that she had done.

The rest of the traveling passed much in that way. We played ten fingers and even got them to agree to play truth or dare. Unfortunately, we couldn't get any of the guys to kiss. But by the time that the sun was low enough on the horizon that we were going to stop for the night, I was tired of the usual games. It seems that I had hit the point that I desperately needed a book to read, or tv would have been fantastic right about now. Unfortunately, there was little to crush the boredom that was slowly taking over throughout the day. I had paddled the boat for the majority of the day, which meant that my arms were incredibly sore.

As we were pulling the boats onto the shore, I was rather agitated with the boredom and the fact that not only my arms, but my ass was sore, from the day long ride in the boats.

"We need to renegotiate this." I told Saffy agitatedly.

"Renegotiate what?" she asked confused.

"That I'm the brawn when you are the brain."

"Sorry, Deirdre. But that is just how it is."

I stuck my tongue out at her, as I pulled the boat onto shore. She hopped out of the boat and moved to help me as well. When we had succeeded in dragging the boat far enough onto shore that it wasn't going to disappear in the night, I flopped backwards smashing into the ground. Unfortunately, I wasn't smart enough to check the ground behind me first to avoid rocks and other painful objects, which meant that I just got a back full of rocks as I hit the ground.

"Ow." I moaned, not moving on the ground as Saffy and Legolas came over to see me.

"Good job, darling." Saffy said sarcastically.

"Fuck you." I replied, as I shut my eyes to block out not only Saffy but the pain that was radiating through my back.

"When, where, and how hard?" she replied.

"I'm not busy now." I told her, it was always the same response. We would go back and forth one would say 'Fuck you' and the other would make the sarcastic reply. It was the norm for us.

"Alright, but you have to get up first. There is no way that I am laying down on the bank of a river with all these guys around."

"Awww, you take all the fun out of it." I whined, slowly beginning to rise from the ground. When I had reached a sitting position I rubbed my back where one of the particularly sharp rocks had hit.

Legolas offered his hand down, which I accepted. I was hauled to my feet and pulled into his chest. His head dipped down to whisper in my ear, lips so close to the sensitive point.

"Careful, melanim. You are making me jealous." He all but growled into my ear, I couldn't stop the shiver that ran through me when he said that, as his breath was warm as it ghosted over my skin.

Pulling away from him with a giggle, I left one of my hands in his. He reached into the boat that Saffy and I had ridden in, pulling out my pack with the bedroll attached at the bottom. Leading me from the boat, he stopped at one of the rocks nearby. I leaned back against the rock and dropped his hand.

I glanced over at Sam, who was settling his things and preparing to make dinner. I was so grateful that we were going to have something hot, after we had been spoiled by nice hot food for every meal in Lothlorien then the plain Lembas bread that we ate in the boats at mid-day, I was thrilled to have another hot meal.

"So did you enjoy our first day on the river?" I asked facetiously.

"Well, it could have been worse." He replied.

"Yeah, if instead of boats we were riding in a pile of nails." My irritation with having to sit all day was showing. "Can I go for a run?" I asked out of the blue.

"It wouldn't be the wisest." His voice came out hesitantly, probably curious as to why I wanted to go for a run.

"Damn, 'cause I have a lot of energy right now." I informed him.

"If you have so much energy, then why don't you go help gather firewood." Aragorn suggested.

"But that's work." I groaned, but looking at his serious and rather annoyed expression I nodded my head. "All right, fine."

With that said, I began heading off into the woods, after making sure that I had my swords at my sides. Just because the Uruk-hai wouldn't find us for a few days, didn't mean that I shouldn't be cautious. It was rather tedious, finding the fallen branches that I would carry back to the camp. But I soon had an armful of tree branches and twigs, which I carried back to the camp.

Setting the armful down next to Sam, I stood up and stretched, sending my arms out as they had been getting painfully tense holding all the wood.

"That's it. I will never have energy again." I declared, causing Aragorn to laugh at me.

I moved over to the rocks looking out over the water, it was hard to imagine that the river which looked so lovely when earlier it had been the mode of slow, boring travel. I continued to gaze out over the water until Sam announced that it was time for dinner.

After we ate the food that Sam had so dutifully prepared, and that we had been given by the elves of Lothlorien, I sat down by a tree with Frodo. He leaned against me and relaxed for a little while, I had noticed that he hadn't eaten any dinner, which definitely wasn't the best sign.

Most of the rest of the fellowship settled down to sleep, leaving Aragorn and Boromir on watch. Sam was still clearing up from dinner, he kept a little on a plate next to him, ready to offer to Frodo. I combed my fingers through Frodo's hair absent-mindedly as I listened to the conversation between Boromir and Aragorn.

"Gollum." Aragorn stated, clarifying what it was Boromir was staring at. "He has tracked us since Moria."

I heard the voice of Gollum croaking out his own name. I suppose it was because of the ring that he had forgotten his true name, and simply accepted the noise that he coughed out to be his title.

"I had hoped that we would lose him on the river. But he's too clever a waterman." Aragorn stated mournfully, upset that we still had our follower.

"And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts, it will make the crossing even more dangerous." Boromir declared, voicing his concerns to our current leader.

I could feel Frodo shift to look over at them, glancing down I saw how nervous this was making him, which was to be understood. Should the enemy know of our mission to destroy the ring and where we currently were, our lives would be shortened considerably.

Sam moved over to us, the plate of food in his hand that he had saved for Frodo. He looked hesitant and saddened when he approached.

"Have some food, Mr. Frodo." Sam requested, proffering the plate to Frodo.

"No, Sam." Frodo replied shaking his head. I grew nervous at this, he should be eating, needing to keep his strength.

"You haven't eaten anything all day. You're not sleeping, either. Don't think I haven't noticed. Mr. Frodo…" Sam continued on with his worrying only to be cut off.

"I'm all right." It came out rather sharply, a frown settled on my face at hearing this.

"But you're not. I'm here to help you. I promised Gandalf that I would." Sam told him distressing.

There was a moment of hesitation in Frodo, he wanted to let Sam help him, to do what Gandalf wanted. But it didn't seem that it was likely to happen.

"You can't help me, Sam… Not this time… Get some sleep." Frodo told him, he sounded depressed that he was so alone.

Sam walked away dejectedly, moving to his bedroll and curling up. Soon he would be asleep, sadness seeping into his heart that he couldn't help his friend.

"Minis Tirith is the safer road. You know it. From there we can regroup… strike out for Mordor from a place of strength." Boromir tried persuading Aragorn once again.

"There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us." Aragorn said pessimistically, I mean just because it is true doesn't mean that he should be so frank.

"You were quick enough to trust the Elves. Have you so little faith in your own people? Yes, there is weakness. There is frailty. But there is courage also, and honor to be found in Men. But you will not see that." Aragorn began to turn to walk away, but Boromir wasn't having that. "You are afraid. All your life, you have hidden in the shadows."

Frodo looked over at the two, distress seeping out from him, revealing his inner turmoil to all those around him. Though I guess lucky for him, I was really the only one around him.

"Scared of who you are, of what you are." Boromir told him, finally releasing his arm so that Aragorn could walk away.

"I will not lead the ring within a hundred leagues of your city." Aragorn snaps at Boromir, having abruptly turned back around to face the Captain of Gondor.

Aragorn walked off, leaving Boromir sitting on the rocks, overlooking the water for a few more minutes. He must have planned on keeping watch from there, as he didn't move at all. So instead I looked down at Frodo.

"You need to eat, Frodo." I told him, sounding like his mother more than just a companion.

"I'm fine, Deirdre." He told me.

"No, you're not. But that isn't what is important right now. You need to keep up your strength. Eat the food." I told him sternly.

He looked back up at me to continue to argue, but noticing the stern expression on my face he gave up trying to fight and began munching on the food that Sam had prepared for him.

"You should listen to Sam. He is simply trying to take care of you." I informed him.

"I shouldn't be troubling Sam. He has to worry about making meals for everyone and is worried enough about whether we are going to survive this. He doesn't need to be worried over me as well." Frodo said, most likely thinking along the lines of having to complete the trip alone.

"Frodo, the time will come when we all have to face the future on our own. But it is not that time. Do not forsake your friends. Sam cares about you, and pushing him away will only make him worry more."

He nodded his head, continuing to eat the somewhat warm food, as it had lost some of the heat from waiting to be eaten for so long.

"You need to take care of yourself, Frodo. The ring will take its toll on you mentally, don't let it exact a physical punishment as well. Lack of sleep and food changes people, makes them more like Gollum." My mind began traveling back to the image of the emaciated creature we had spotted in Moria, a mere shadow of the person he was before being consumed by the ring.

"You should take care of yourself as well." He told me, not wanting to cause more pain than absolutely necessary.

"Eh, if I wasn't taking care of you then I would most likely be off in the woods snogging Legolas." I told him, specifically using the British terminology so that he wouldn't understand what I was talking about.

"Snogging?" he questioned.

"Uh, not going into that. But anyways, no matter what I wouldn't be resting. So keeping you company and taking care of you is the best option right now." I told him.

"I'm fine, Deirdre." He told me, reciting his old argument. Apparently, he had taken offense to being taken care of.

"No, Frodo, you're not. When was the last time that you slept through the entire night? That you felt whole and alive?" I asked him.

He looked down instead of answering me, but this gave me the answer anyway. He was losing some of the happiness that he should have, because of the ring which would eventually consume all joy and memory.

"You aren't fine, Frodo. So for now, let me take care of you." I told him.

About this point he had finished his plate, which made me feel a little better. As long as he was eating more than once a day he would be strong. Now I just needed him to get some rest.

"All right, now to get some rest." I told him, taking the plate from his hands and setting it down on the other side of me.

"Deirdre, I can't sleep." He told me.

"What would make you sleep?" I asked him, trying to find the best way to let him get the rest he needed.

"I don't know. Before this journey I never had trouble sleeping." He admitted.

"Shall I sing you to sleep? That is what my mother used to do for me when I couldn't rest."

He nodded his head, then grabbed the blanket that went with the bedroll we were currently sitting on. He pulled the blanket up and covered himself, I shifted so that my arm was around him and he could fall asleep lying against me.

"Any requests?" I asked.

"Not that I can think of."

I nodded my head, thinking for a moment. Undoubtedly it would take more than one song to sing him to sleep, as it had when I was younger and my parents would sing me to sleep.

_Lay down__  
__Your sweet and weary head__  
__Night is falling__  
__You've come to journey's end__  
__Sleep now__  
__And dream of the ones who came before__  
__They are calling__  
__From across the distant shore_

_Why do you weep?__  
__What are these tears upon your face?__  
__Soon you will see__  
__All of your fears will pass away__  
__Safe in my arms__  
__You're only sleeping_

_What can you see__  
__On the horizon?__  
__Why do the white gulls call?__  
__Across the sea__  
__A pale moon rises__  
__The ships have come to carry you home_

_And all will turn__  
__To silver glass__  
__A light on the water__  
__All souls pass_

_Hope fades__  
__Into the world of night__  
__Through shadows falling__  
__Out of memory and time__  
__Don't say "We have come now to the end"__  
__White shores are calling__  
__You and I will meet again_

_And you'll be here in my arms__  
__Just sleeping_

_What can you see__  
__On the horizon?__  
__Why do the white gulls call?__  
__Across the sea__  
__A pale moon rises__  
__The ships have come to carry you home_

_And all will turn__  
__To silver glass__  
__A light on the water__  
__Grey ships pass__  
__Into the West_

Glancing down I noticed that although Frodo's eyes were closed, he was still awake. As his breathing was not yet the deep even rhythm that came with sleep. I frowned, contemplating what to sing to him next. The only thing that came to mind was a song that my mother sang to me, while it wasn't a lullaby of any sort, it always put me to sleep.

_I was born in the wagon of a traveling show,_

_My momma had to dance for the money they'd throw,_

_Pappa would do whatever he could_

_Preach a little gospel, sell a couple bottles of Dr. Good._

_Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves, _

_We'd hear it from the people of the town They'd call us:_

_Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves._

_But every night all the men would come around, and lay their money down._

_Picked up a boy just south of Mobile, _

_Gave him a ride, filled him with a hot meal._

_I was 16 he was 21, rode with us to Memphis._

_Papa woulda shot him if he knew what he'd done._

_Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves,_

_We'd hear it from the people of the town,_

_They'd call us:_

_Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves,_

_But every night all the men would come around._

_And lay their money down._

_Never had schooling but he taught me well._

_With his smooth Southern style._

_Three months later, I'm a gal in trouble._

_And I haven't seen him for a while._

_No, haven't seen him for a while._

_She was born in the wagon of a traveling show_

_Her momma had to dance for the money they'd throw._

_Grampa'd do whatever he could._

_Preach a little gospel, sell a couple bottles of Dr. Good._

_Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves,_

_We'd hear it from the people of the town,_

_They'd call us:_

_Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves,_

_But every night all the men would come around_

_And lay their money down._

_Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves,_

_We'd hear it from the people of the town,_

_They'd call us:_

_Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves,_

_But every night all the men would come around,_

_And lay their money down._

Glancing down one more time, I saw that during the song Frodo's breath had deepened and he now rested peacefully. I smiled to myself, until I realized that I couldn't move. At least not without waking Frodo back up.

So I shut my eyes, ignoring that I wasn't in the most comfortable position and still in my traveling clothes, pressing myself to find rest. It took a little while, but soon I managed to find the sanctuary of sleep.

Morning came all too soon, removing the last tendrils of safety from us. Soon it would be time to move out, to continue on the journey to the most hellish place in Middle Earth. My nose was filled with the scent of cooking sausages, I was incredibly grateful to the elves of Lothlorien that they had given us some meat to take with us. Sure, I was becoming more elvish, but at no point in my life would I be happy with a juicy steak. However, as much as I wanted to tuck into breakfast right now, it wasn't exactly an option. As I still had a sleeping hobbit using me for a pillow, and what more I had a sleeping hobbit with insomnia resting against me. So instead of getting up to go enjoy the lovely meal the Sam was preparing, instead I was staying prone against the tree with Frodo in my arms.

Aragorn came over to wake me and Frodo off, but I fixed him with a glare that made him falter in his steps. He looked at me questioningly.

"He needs the rest." I mouthed to Aragorn, who must have had some skill at reading lips as he understood and nodded his head.

"Sam, would you make a plate for Deirdre?" Aragorn asked, to my surprise.

"Of course." Sam replied, as he began dishing out a plate for me.

Once it was done, the plate was brought over to me, where I carefully shifted one of my arms so that I could eat without bothering the sleeping Frodo. I ate all the food that was on the plate for me, and succeeded in not waking Frodo. My current plan was to load him into the boats while he was asleep, and have a plate of food ready for him when he awoke. However, my plan went awry when Merry and Pippin decided to be loud right next to Frodo and myself as they argued over who would get the first plate at breakfast.

Frodo roused in my arms, shifting a little as his eyes opened. He remained still for a moment, then quickly moved from his place resting against me.

"Morning, Frodo." I said, still sounding rather sleepily. I never said that I was completely turning into a morning person.

Frodo got his breakfast from Sam and we all sat in relative silence, aside from Merry and Pippin, as we ate the food. The boats were loaded quickly back up with the supplies that we had pulled out last night, then pushed into the water.

_It was going to be an incredibly boring day of traveling by boat once again_, I thought to myself as we pushed off and began our day.

***End Chapter 14***

Alright, music in this chapter is Into the West by Annie Lennox, which I am sure most of you recognize, as well as Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves by Cher. Though for the purposes of using Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves as a lullaby as my mother has actually done, think of it slowed down compared to the version that Cher does.

Read and Review ;D


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I own nothing, as always.

***Chapter 15***

**Deirdre's POV**

Another day of traveling down the Anduin river, with no visible sign that we were actually moving, simply the endless passing of forest by means of unchanging river. Honestly, I almost wished there was an orc attack or something, just to break up the boredom. I shared the paddling with Saffy today, considering my arms were rather sore from the day before.

Another night of gathering firewood so that Sam could make dinner and relaxing a little before night fell and danger became more prominent. Fortunately, tonight was my turn for watch. That broke up the repetitive cycle a little, although paying attention for any signs of danger for four hours straight was the most entertaining thing either. Once again I sang Frodo to sleep, only this time he slept in his bedroll alone. It seemed that over my time in Middle Earth, my hearing and sight had drastically improved. So instead of having to focus all my attention of making sure that we were going to be attacked in the middle of the night, I could do other things as well. It was times like these that I wished I could do some handicraft of some kind, like knitting. That would be something to do all night while keeping watch.

But today was a good day, Frodo had eaten three meals and was even resting rather well. I was feeling rather proud of myself for making him take care of himself, especially since it looked like it was working.

Halfway through the night, my watch came to an end. My replacement was going to be Gimli, which meant that I had to face the dangers of waking a dwarf who had a tendency to sleep with his axe. This did not bode well for me. Luckily, sitting next to the fire was a few unburnt branches that we had gathered. I picked one of the branches up, it wasn't long enough for me to poke him with, as I would still be within range of his axe. But since there was no one sleeping within range of him, I could throw the branch at him and rouse him that way.

I came within a few feet of Gimli, lining the branch up to throw at him. Just as I was about to release the twig, I heard the sound of footstep coming up behind me. I spun around brandishing the stick as a weapon, only to be faced with Legolas.

"Attempting to wake the dwarf?" he questioned with a smile.

"Yes, but I'm not dumb enough to go near him." I told him, smiling back.

"Leave him lie." Legolas said, confusing me. He must have noticed my expression as he continued. "I can take his watch. I am already awake, after all."

I nodded my head, only to have my face form into a pout just after I agreed. He raised an eyebrow at my expression.

"But then I can't curl up with you to sleep." I pouted.

"Well, you can if I sit down for my watch. As long as I don't fall asleep or get too distracted, it shouldn't be a problem."

I smirked at him, he grabbed my hand and led me over to where his bedroll had been set up. Mine was right next to his, he pulled mine over right next to his and sat down. Then, grabbing my hand, I was pulled down into his lap.

"I can't make any promises about not distracting you." I told him, shifting my legs so that I was now straddling his waist.

"Well, perhaps remembering that there are other people around will help you to restrain yourself from distracting me?" he offered.

"Not exactly sure." I said, punctuating my sentence with a bite to his neck. He gasped as I did this. "I am a bit of an exhibitionist."

"Oh?"

"Uh-huh. You get a little more of a thrill from kissing people in front of others."

I continued to place kisses intermixed with bites about his neck. From my place on his lap, I could feel him hardening. I ground a little against him, earning another gasp.

"I don't think that this is the best way to keep watch." He said, causing me to huff.

"Maybe we should wake Gimli, so that we can head off into the woods then." I suggested, continuing my assault on his neck.

"As lovely as that sounds," he began, interrupted by a sigh as I sucked on his neck. "We both have to wake up in the morning. We need to be rested if we are to paddle the boats."

I made a noise of displeasure, pulling back from his neck to show him my pout. He gave me a sympathizing smile, but it didn't lessen my pout at all.

"I hate it when you are logical."

"I know, melanim. Why don't you rest now, maybe tomorrow night we can sneak off into the woods." He suggested, trying to pacify me.

I nodded my head as I moved off his lap, only to have him extend his legs and opening them for me to sit between. I moved into the void that he had created for me, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head against his chest. He pulled the blanket from my bedroll and laid it over me. I shut my eyes, relaxing against him as I inhaled his scent.

Sleep claimed me as its own. I probably dreamt during the time that I slept, but in the morning no memory of the dream would come to me. As the sun rose on the camp, I felt Legolas shifting underneath me. Oddly enough, he made a fantastic pillow.

"Quel amrun, melanim." I heard Legolas say.

"Huh?" I questioned un-eloquently.

"Good morning, my love." He repeated in Common for me.

"Quel amrun to you, melanim." I returned, causing a smile to break out on his face.

"a 'lle." He informed me.

"What?"

"To you is a 'lle." To which I nodded my head, it was looking as though he was going to give me some manner of lessons in Elvish.

I yawned as I stretched my arms and back, it was one of those stereotypical actions. My mother always thought it was funny that those actions came natural to me, that I fit the stereotype when I was still so strange.

"Morning, y'all." I said to the fellowship, who was beginning to awaken around us.

Sam was already starting on breakfast, while Pippin and Merry were lethargic in their movements of rising from their bedrolls. To me, Pippin and Merry seemed like the perfect example of a teenager. They liked to drink, smoke, eat, and sleep, which was pretty much what everyone thought of as a teenager. It saddened me to think that they would grow out of their childish actions because of this quest, but we all have to grow up sometimes.

Breakfast was routine, even though we were currently camped continuing our quest to destroy one of the most evil things in the world. This strangely seemed natural, going about the camp and maintaining some awareness that we would not be attacked.

The bags were packed into the boats quickly, setting out on yet another dull day of traveling on the Anduin River. Yet again, we played games and sang songs to pass the time. It actually came to the point that we taught them how to play I-spy. Which definitely wasn't a good idea, as Merry and Pippin took a particular liking to the game, especially considering that they knew it annoyed everyone.

"Merry, Pippin. If you don't stop I am going to turn these boats around." I threatened them, earning me a laugh from Saffy and confused looks from everybody else.

"How are you going to turn our boat around, Deirdre?" Pippin asked.

I frowned for a second, not having really thought out how I would uphold my threat. Suddenly an idea struck me.

"Fine, maybe I won't turn the boat around. But I can knock you out of the boat." I threatened once more.

"Deirdre, we're simply bored." Merry explained.

"As am I, but you are giving me a headache." I told them, feeling the beginnings of the pressure of a headache against my skull. "My head is going to explode soon."

Pausing in my paddling for a moment, I rubbed my temples, contemplating the best way to get them to shut up. But honestly, shutting up wasn't something I had managed to do when I went on road trips. The only time I had was when there was a tv in the car, or when I fell asleep.

"What will get you to stop being bored?" I asked, afraid of what the answer would be.

They both shrugged their shoulders. I took another second to think again, my mind jumped back to traveling with my mom up to visit my sister, it had been about a four hour car ride and we needed something to pass the time. What we found, had happened to be word association.

"How would you like to learn another game?" I asked them.

"Alright." Merry responded for the both of them.

"The game is called Peanut. The rules are you start with the word peanut and the next person must create a word using one of the compounds from the prior word. For instance, the next word could be hazelnut, or peacock. Then you go on and on until no one can find a compound word that contains one of the prior compounds. One of the rules, however is no repeats. All right?" I asked them.

Both of them nodded their heads, then began going back and forth continuing on from peanut and then just kept going. At least peanut they could play reasonably quietly and wouldn't be giving me a rampaging headache that would undoubtedly last for the rest of the day.

In the afternoon, we finally reached the massive statues, the ones that greatly resembled Aragorn.

"Frodo, the Argonath! Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old. My kin." Aragorn said, almost reverently as he looked upon the giant statues of the great kings of old.

He was already beginning to accept his role as a future king. Recognizing the kings of old, who were made into great statues to warn the way toward Mordor, as his kin. I smiled a little as he said this, then my eyes fell upon the great statues as well. They were definitely impressive, and not just their sheer mass, but also the presence even the lifeless stone exuded.

We all steered our boats to the shore and climbed out, dragging the heavy swan shaped boats onto the shore. Again, Saffy had to help me, and this time, once he had settled his boat, Legolas came out to aid Saffy and me. It was quiet as we all began to set up camp, but there was a warning in me. This would be where the uruk-hai finally found us, where our close-knit group would splinter.

"We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the North." Aragorn announced, he took on the leadership role rather well.

"Oh, yes? It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that it, gets even better." Gimli began on his tirade.

I frowned at him, having glanced around and seen the paling faces of the, now even more worried, hobbits. He had the best way of putting things, maybe I was wrong and he should be writing the travel brochures for Mordor. Though it had to be admitted, it seemed that the descriptive talent for the horrid ran prevalent throughout Middle Earth, both Boromir and Gimli now making everything sound incredibly awful and scaring the poor hobbits even more.

"Festering, stinking marshlands, as far as the eye can see." He concluded his lovely picture of our route to Mordor.

"That is our road. I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf." Aragorn reprimanded him, having seen the expressions on Merry and Pippin's faces at the description.

"Recover my..?" Gimli sputtered out, clearly appalled that Aragorn would suggest that he needed to recover his strength from a mere boat ride.

"We should leave now." Legolas told Aragorn, although he was rather quite about it I heard the words.

Depression and guilt filled me, if only I told them what would happen then all the disaster could be avoided. But there would be no guarantee of success then, and the fate of the world was not something I was willing to risk for the lives of the few. When it came down to it, my answer would always be sacrifice the lives of the few to save the whole.

I knew that I was running very low on time at this point, somehow during the trip I had failed to tell Sam what I really needed to. I was so afraid that I would miss my chance that I quickly abandoned listening in on the conversation between Legolas and Frodo, walking swiftly over to Sam.

"Sam, I need to talk to you." I told him in a hushed tone.

He nodded his head and we moved slightly away from the rest of the group, toward the rocks on one side of the would-be camp.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, that I didn't give you more time to prepare." I began, thinking how I ought to phrase this. "But it seems that time got away from me."

"What are you talking about, Miss Deirdre?" he enquired.

"I don't know how much more time there is, at least not for me anyway. But soon the time will come, where I may not be here to help you." I told him.

He opened his mouth, probably to argue that I probably wasn't going to die soon.

"Just listen, Sam." I told him, to which he shut his mouth. "You are Frodo's best friend. And he will always love you and need you. Never forget that. The ring does horrid things to people, and Frodo will need you there to keep him sane. To keep him from becoming like Gollum." _Like Boromir._ I kept the last part to myself, knowing that it had yet to happen.

"I'm not sure that I understand. You are saying that I need to watch out for Frodo?" he questioned.

"Always, Sam. Before the end of the quest things will look dark, like there is no hope left in the world. Frodo is going to need you." I told him.

"But won't you be there to help?" he asked, my heart breaking a little at the look on his face.

"I don't know, Sam. My fate may lead me somewhere else, hell it may even be my own stupidity. But you are a good friend, Sam. Always remember your promise to Gandalf." I told him, trying not to be too cryptic.

Sam deserved some preparation for the horror of Mordor that he would have to face. As well as the slight betrayal by Frodo. I pulled him into a hug, he only came to a little above my waist. I bent down and pressed my lips to his forehead. Confusion spread across his face, and it looked as though he was going to ask me what was going on. As this was like spontaneous proclamations of love, that suicides began making before they died. But before he could Merry interrupted with words that put ice around my heart.

"Where's Frodo?" Merry asked. To be honest, I didn't know that two words could be so painful to hear, could hold so much weight.

This caused everyone to begin searching about the campsite for a sign of Frodo, but there was none to be found. Just as the only trace of Boromir, was his pack and round shield.

"Everyone fan out, we need to find him. Boromir as well." Aragorn stated, slightly panicked.

Sam moved to grab his sword, but Aragorn quickly stopped him.

"Wait here, Sam. In case he comes back."

Sam reluctantly nodded his head, obviously unhappy with the instruction. He relented to it though, releasing his grip on his sword and setting it back down, in the sheath on his pack. As I moved by him, I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Remember what I told you." It was the only farewell I could give him at the moment, my fate was far from decided. Whether I would travel with him and Frodo, be killed in the fight, kidnapped by the Uruk-hai, or travel with Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn.

I disappeared off into the woods, searching for Frodo and calling out his name. Not worried in the slightest about finding Boromir. Even though I wasn't there right now, I wasn't the happiest with him. Though I knew he would redeem himself before his end. His end which would come so soon. _No, no thinking that way. You have things to do._ I reprimanded myself, I was not going to worry about Boromir's impending doom.

I dodge among the trees, spotting Merry and Pippin hiding in some dense underbrush. A quick glance across from them reveals Frodo, pressing against a tree to hide himself from the Uruk-hai army. There was fear plainly written across his face, as well as indecision. His eyes were focused upon Merry and Pippin.

"Frodo!" Merry called quietly, trying to get Frodo's attention to the fact that they had a relatively safe hiding space.

"Hide here. Quick, come on." Pippin said, motioning with his hands to get his friend to safety.

Frodo's eyes met mine for a moment, indecision flickered once more. I nodded my head in assurance that what he was thinking was the right thing. The indecision left his face, he looked back over at Merry and Pippin, shaking his head 'no'.

"What's he doing?" I heard Pippin ask.

"He's leavin'." Merry told him.

I chose that moment to come out from behind the tree I was hiding behind.

"Merry, Pippin, start running. You are going to need the head start." I told them, to which they began following my instruction, pausing a little to look back.

"Frodo, I hope to see you again before the end. Otherwise, I will see you in the next world." I told him, staring straight ahead. Turning to look him in the eyes. "Go, take Sam with you. But go."

He hesitated, knowing that if he were to flee now, the Uruk-hai would see him and give chase. So I turned my attention and anger to the Uruk-hai, who were running through the trees. The Uruk-hai, who would claim Boromir's life, who would drive us apart. The Uruk-hai, who would break our fellowship. Rage filled me, I could feel the heat rushing through my veins, there was no fear of death for me now, only pure rage.

"Hey you, fuck heads. Come and get me, you cocksuckers." I shouted, drawing the attention of the first couple. "Yeah, you, cunt-baskets. I'm going to kick your ass so hard that you are going to taste my foot. I'll pull your fucking innards out your asses, then I'll wear your guts for garters. How do you like that, bitches?"

Apparently, they didn't like it at all. As I now had a massive group of Uruk-hai charging at me. I cast one more glance at Frodo, nodding my head. Then I turned tail and fled, Merry and Pippin were ahead of me, standing stock-still.

"What the fuck are you doing? Run." I ordered them, causing them to take off as well.

Deciding that since I was already using myself as bait, I may as well go all the way, I began singing at the top of my lungs as I ran from the army of Uruk-hai. I may not have a horn like Boromir did, but this was definitely the way to get help.

"You wanna be an airforce ranger/ You wanna live a life of danger/ You don't wanna get raped by a stranger." I yelled at the top of my lungs, glancing back for a second. "Then again, maybe you fuckwits would."

My taunting and shout-singing continued as we ran through the trees, dodging the Uruk-hai and successfully distracting them from Frodo. However, fate was not on our side. As we were soon flanked by the Uruk army. I drew my dual blades and began a charge at the Uruks who stood before us, Merry and Pippin had slowed considerably and my longer legs allowed me to gain the edge on speed.

I slashed my blades through the first of the Uruks, stabbing one blade through a chest as the other blocked another blow. There was definitely no way that I was going to be able to fight our way out of this alone, as there were more Uruks than I could count. Although I had the adrenaline pumping through my veins, creating a sense close to euphoria, I knew that unless help arrived or a miracle happened, we were not getting out of this alive. As panic began to fill me, that the hobbits were going to die because of me, my miracle occurred. Coming in swinging was Boromir with Saffy in tow. While I was definitely not happy that she was putting herself in so much danger, she was saving my skin. So I couldn't worry too much about her being in danger, maybe once we got out of this. That is if we lived through this.

Merry and Pippin must have been frozen in fear, as although they had their swords drawn, neither of them had felled a singled Uruk. My blades continued to slice through flesh, the feeling the muscles tearing under the force of my swords began feeling natural. I cut through a jugular on one of the Uruks and black blood squirted from it and splashed across my face. I could hear the sounds of Boromir and Saffy fighting the Uruks as well. The occasional groan in pain and outcry when the lives of the Uruk ended rang throughout our clearing.

The sound of the horn of Gondor blaring rang in my ears, it was a shocking sound compared to the sound of death which had been the only sound filling my ears. As I cut down another Uruk, the horn sounded once more. Three times in all the cry for aid erupted from the horn, but I knew that help would come too late.

More Uruks begin to close in around us, as the sound not only draws the attention of our few allies, but also of the enemy. The sound of an arrow whizzing through the air is faint, but can be heard none the less. Just as the sound of that same arrow embedding itself in Boromir's left shoulder rings, through my ears with perfect clarity. I stare at Boromir as he pauses for a moment, I want to move toward him, to offer aid. But my path is interrupted by the ubiquitous Uruks, who are overrunning us. After but a moment, Boromir rises up again to his full strength, he continues to fight against the overwhelming number of Uruk-hai around us. He continues to fight, as do we all. Fearing the death that will overtake us all in the end, whether it be decided today or years from now, we will all succumb to the icy hand of death.

Another arrow strikes Boromir, this time landing in his stomach. The slightest amount of blood begins to run from his mouth, as it flows freely down chest. My blood courses through my veins with rage, Boromir is so strong, yet he cannot survive these arrows in the end. We all know this, yet redemption seems to be in his grasp for attacking Frodo. I moved forward, slicing through the Uruks who stand in my way, trying to get to the cruel Uruk-hai leader whose arrows are now sticking from the fighting Boromir. As my right sword slices through the neck of another of these monsters, the sound of an arrow embedding itself sounds again. But this time the arrow is not sticking out from Boromir, it protrudes from my left shoulder. The pain erupts from the point, as I continue trying to fight I can feel the tip of the arrow scraping against my collar bone. I gasp in pain, blocking the attack of another of Uruks. But it is in vain, a moment of perfect clarity, seeing the final arrow fly into Boromir. As the pain erupts in the back of my head from a blow from a sword hilt, then everything turns black as I collapse to the ground in agony and unconsciousness.

**Aragorn's POV**

As I fight to reach Boromir, Saffron, Deirdre, and the halflings panic fills me. Another arrow flies into Boromir, but he continues to fight. A slash across the neck of an Uruk, now an arrow protrudes from Deirdre's shoulder. Two more Uruks down, she is struck to the back of the head, collapsing to the ground as one more arrow pierces Boromir. So close, yet so far away. I cut and hack my way through more of the enemy, but not before Boromir is left kneeling in the clearing alone, as Uruks run past him.

The Uruk-hai leader approaches Boromir, bow drawn and aimed directly at the injured warrior. Finally, close enough as the other Uruks disappear, running into the forest. I crash into the captain, effectively preventing him from firing the point blank shot directly into Boromir. The captain turns to look at me, his sword drawn out. The blows exchanged result in my sword flying from my hand, as I am knocked down.

I draw myself back up, only to be knocked back into a tree, pinned by the two-pronged shield of the Uruk captain. An evil smirk crosses his face, he draws near with his sword held high. The shield won't come loose, but somehow I manage to duck out from under the shield and escape the blow that would have parted my head and shoulders.

Grabbing my knife from its scabbard, I stab it into the leg of the captain. I race back over to where my sword was discarded to, looking back over at the captain just in time to see him draw my knife from his leg and lick the blood from it. The act was revolting, but the thought barely has time to cross my mind, as my own knife is thrown back at me. I knock the blade from its path, growing tired from the fighting, but knowing that there is no stopping now. The Uruk draws his sword from the tree and closing in. I parry the blows, finally slicing clean through the flesh, muscle, and bone of the Uruk's arm.

My sword penetrates the mass of the Uruk captains core, he grabs the blade of my sword and continues to impale himself upon the blade. As far as intelligence goes, these Uruks only seem slightly smarter than orcs. I rip my sword from the chest of the Uruk, and with a clean swing, make the final separation between the head of the Uruk and its' shoulders.

Seeing the lifeless corpse fall to my feet, I can finally rush over to the fallen Gondorian Captain.

"No!" I proclaim, kneeling down beside the broken man. Blood stains his face and seeps through the wounds on his chest.

His hand shoots up, grabbing my shoulder so that I pay attention to him. My eyes quickly return to his face, having quickly examined all his wounds. The arrows penetrating his body are located in places which bleed out quickly, as can obviously be seen by the steady flow of the blood from each of the wounds.

"They took them. They took the little ones, Saffron, and Deirdre." He told me, despair in his voice.

"Be still." I told him, trying to think of how he could still be healed. Him exerting what little energy he had left trying to tell me that the fate of our companions now were in the cruel hands of bloodthirsty Uruks wasn't going to save him.

"Frodo? Where is Frodo?" he asked desperately.

"I let Frodo go."

"Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from Frodo." He admitted, which was what I had thought may have happened, why Frodo was so afraid I would take the ring from him.

"The Ring is beyond our reach now." I comforted.

"Forgive me. I did not see it. I have failed you all."

"No, Boromir, you fought bravely. You have kept your honor."

Even though he had tried to take the ring from Frodo, taking three arrows to the chest and still fighting to protect his friends ensured that he had kept his honor. I moved to pull the arrows from his chest, so that maybe I could treat his wounds.

"Leave it. It is over. The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness… and my city to ruin."

"I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall… nor our people fail." I reassured.

"Our people? Our people." He sounded almost cheered that I was accepting him, even when he was in this state.

Boromir reached for his sword, I moved the hilt into his hand, helping to place the sword against his chest. He had a look of resignation and determination on his face.

"I would have followed you my Brother… my Captain… my King."

Tears welled in my eyes as he spoke. For all his faults, Boromir was a good man, who only wanted what was best for his people. With one last deep breath, Boromir faced the next world, leaving behind the quest and all its troubles in this one. I raised my hand to my forehead and then to my lips as a sign of respect.

"Be at peace, son of Gondor." I murmured, bending down and placing a brotherly kiss upon his brow.

I rise from my place, realizing that both Legolas and Gimli had arrived and looked upon the lifeless body of our fallen companion. He is pale and the contrast between the black arrows sticking from his body is horrific.

"They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return." I stated, looking down at Gondor's fallen warrior, its favored son.

Tears have cascaded down my cheeks, taking the few moments that I can to grieve for the loss. It will be the last moments of grief before we must continue our journey. We collect the fallen body of our companion, as well as the weapons that we had shed during the fight. The dual blades that had been given to Deirdre by Lady Galadriel glimmer in the pale light streaming through the trees. Legolas picks them up and fastens them about his waist, tears in his eyes as he does so. The broken horn of Gondor, which was cloven in two during the fight, is collected along with Boromir's lifeless body.

There can be no burial here, nor any pyre offered to Boromir. Instead, we lay him in one of the boats given to us by the elves of Lothlorien. His sword is firmly within his cold grasp, the broken horn lying at his side, and his round shield, which had been abandoned at the remnants of an incomplete campsite, placed above his head. We walk the boat out into the water, sending it down with the flow of the water over the falls.

As it disappears from sight, Legolas grabs the next boat, the one containing a few of Deirdre and Saffron's things still, and begins moving it into the water.

"Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore." He says, during our funeral preparations we had seen them across the lake.

I remain still, watching where the boat of our fallen companion disappeared, his bracers now worn about my wrists in remembrance of him and in recognition of our city.

"You mean not to follow them?" he questions, confused but there is a hint of relief that just maybe we will be saving Deirdre and the others from the Uruk-hai.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."

"Then it has all been in vain! The Fellowship has failed." Gimli mournfully announced.

I moved over to them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders and looking between the two of them.

"Not if we hold true to each other. We will not abandon our friends to torment and death. Not while we have strength left. Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light." I told them, then with a smirk. "Let's hunt some Orc."

"Yes! Haha!" Gimli declares, happy at the idea of revenge, though still hating the reason why we must now extract it.

The hobbits could have been taken for many reasons, including the master of the Uruk-hai believing that they may carry the ring. But the idea that they took Deirdre and Saffron was most disturbing, especially considering how cruel they could be. Both Deirdre and Saffron would be lucky to escape this encounter alive, they almost assuredly would not return unscathed. As I glanced over at Legolas, I could see him beginning to fall apart. They had only told us days ago that he and Deirdre were courting. Now her being taken by the Uruk-hai, and what they were likely to do to her, was not going to be good for his mental state.

We took little to nothing as we ran off into the forest, following the footsteps of the captors of our friends. Hoping, that just maybe we could save them from death and torment.

***End Chapter 15***

Okay everyone, sorry it took me a little longer to update. Read and Review.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 16***

**Saffy's POV**

Three days, we had been carried tossed over the shoulders of the Uruk-hai who stole us away from our friends. The few moments that Deirdre had seemed conscious over the past few days were not helping my confidence in the situation. Plus the fact that the Uruks had been too stupid to remove the arrow, which still protruded from her shoulder. The occasional groan broke out from her mostly unconscious form.

Glancing over behind me a little, I could see Pippin and Merry being carried with their arms wrapped around the necks of the Uruks. I was beginning to get a little envious of their position. At least they could see what was happening ahead of them. As for me, I was tossed over the shoulder of the Uruk like a sack of potatoes. Each jarring step that the Uruks took sent pain singing through my abdomen with the tough armor beneath me.

"Merry, Merry." Pippin called over softly, trying to rouse his unconscious friend.

Overall, Pippin wasn't in as bad of shape as Deirdre, but he still wasn't looking too hot. When he had been grabbed, he had been knocked over the back of the head like all of us. But it looked like his attacker had struck him too hard, as he had been barely traveling between sleep and consciousness.

The remains of the Uruk-hai army halted for a moment, causing a little relief in the pain in my stomach. Though, my moment of relief is ended when from behind some of the rocks that litter the part of the plains that we are in, a group of Orcs approaches us.

"You're late." The lead orc grumbled. "Our master grows impatient; he wants the Shire-rats and the wenches."

"I don't take orders from Orc-maggots. Saruman will have his prize. We will deliver them." The temporary leader of the Uruk-hai growled out at them.

"Merry! Merry? Wake up!" Pippin pleads, his worry leaking into his tone. "My friend, he's sick. He needs water."

The Uruk-hai laugh at Pippin's pleas. The leader of the Uruks smiles evilly as he looks at the frightened Pippin and the unconscious Merry.

"Sick, is he? Give him some medicine, boys." The leader declares.

Laughing ensues among the creatures, as one grabs the skin and begins pouring the black liquid into Merry's lolled open mouth. The raucous laughter continues, as the now rousing Merry chokes upon the black liquid.

"Stop it." Pippin calls out worriedly.

"Can't take his draught?" Laughs one of the Uruk-hai, causing the others to pick up their laughter once more.

"Leave him alone." Pippin tries once more to stop the cruel Uruks.

"Why? You want some?" The leader calls, causing Pippin to shake his head vigourously. "Then keep your mouth shut."

Once the Uruk-hai stop paying such close attention to Pippin, he looks over to Merry again.

"Merry?" he questions.

"Hello, Pip." Merry said weakly.

"You're hurt." Pippin returned. Their relationship really reminded me of Saffy and me, constantly worrying over one another.

I'm fine." He said, his mouth still working weakly from the disuse. "It was just an act."

"An act?" Pippin questioned, worry seeping into his tone once more.

"See? I fooled you too." Merry gave an attempt at a reassuring smile, then sobered up. "Don't worry about me, Pip."

"How are you holding up, Saffron?" Merry questioned, looking forward to me.

"I'll live." I winced out, the occasional pain still coming from my stomach, as well as the fact that my head was pounding.

"And Deirdre?" he asked.

I tried to give a reassuring smile, along with a shake of my head. I wasn't entirely sure how she was doing, but it wasn't too well. A grim look came over both their faces, along with determination. They didn't want to die here, and were definitely afraid that that would be all our fates.

"What is it? What do you smell?" One of the lead Uruks asked the uruk, who was sniffing around.

"Man-flesh." He grunted out.

"Aragorn." Pippin said quietly.

Glancing over at him quickly, I see that he is working at his cloak-clasp with his teeth. When he successfully has ripped it off the cloak, he spits it out from his mouth. A booted foot crashed down upon where the leaf fell to, as the Uruks picked up their pace. My stomach ached even more, as they continue to run across the plains.

"Let's move." A harsh voice, grunted out.

Deciding that maybe it would be best to rest for now, save my energy for when it was truly necessary, I fell into unconsciousness.

**Deirdre's POV**

My eyes fluttered open, for the first time in what felt like forever. My mouth was incredibly dry, and I felt the pain in my head and shoulder making them known. I tried to work up the saliva into my mouth, but it only resulted in a coughing fit.

Darkness was prevalent as I was dropped onto my back roughly onto the ground. I grunt at the pain, but I try to focus on the lesser pain of my head and back than my shoulder. A gasp escapes my mouth, but I try to suppress the rest of the pain.

"We're not going no further… 'til we have a bit of a breather." One of the uruks grunted out, breathing harshly.

"Get a fire going." The leader ordered, causing a flurry of motion.

Several Orcs and Uruks walked amongst the fringe of the treeline and began cutting down some of the trees. I winced when I heard the groaning of the trees. It was much louder with these trees than it was at home, I had learned that when a tree is cut down, it emits a high-pitched squeal, similar to a scream. So not only did the trees at home feel pain, but these trees which were brought to life by the elves were now suffering as the sharp weapons sliced into their bark.

Pippin, Merry, and Saffy all crawled over to me, their hands all bound. I rolled my head over to them, trying to give a reassuring smile.

"Are you alright?" Saffy asked me.

"Right as rain." I told her, sarcasm heavy in my voice.

It was obviously a lie, but I wasn't going to tell them how much I hurt. I was sore throughout my entire body, probably from being carried without moving for the past few days, as well as the piercing pain in my shoulder that radiated out every few seconds with the pumping of my blood. I glanced over at my aching shoulder, _aw fuck_, I thought as I saw the black arrow that still lay embedded into my bone.

"Merry, Merry." Pippin said to his mostly conscious friend.

"I think we may have made a mistake leaving the shire, Pip." He replied.

The groaning of the trees continues on, the sound of the trees in pain is almost unbearable. It has always been in my nature to love the woods and pretty much anything natural, and hearing the sounds so tangible caused some physical pain to me.

"What's making that noise?" Pippin asked.

"It's the trees." Merry told him, glancing up at the trees above us.

"What?" Pippin asked him.

"You remember the Old Forest on the borders of Buckland? Folk used to say there was something in the water that made the trees grow tall… and come alive." Merry explained to him.

"Alive?" Pippin just about squeaked.

"Trees that could whisper… talk to each other… even move." Merry told him, obviously Merry was the intelligent one between the two.

I grunted once more in pain, at the rate I was going with what was sure to be an infected wound, I would be lucky to survive in the care of the Rohirrim. Suddenly, an idea struck me. What Lady Galadriel had said about following my insticts and doing what I thought was right, rang through my mind. _With any luck_, I thought, _they would forgive me by the end. If I was there to be_ _forgiven._

"Merry, Pippin. When you get the chance, run into the trees. Fangorn is going to be the safest place for you two." I told them, biting back the pain.

Both of them looked over to me, confused as to what I was saying, why I was saying it now. I ignored their confused looks.

"Saffy, if you can. Hide in the bushes, tell the others that you are all safe. Go with the Rohirrim, if it comes to it." I told her, laying out what I had to.

"Di, you are going to be here too." She said, insistently.

"I love you." I told her, ignoring her comment. Then I looked over to the hobbits. "And I love you both as well. Take care of yourselves."

A small part of my brain told me that I was making my farewells, my spontaneous proclamations of love. But I knew that it was something that I had to do.

"Deirdre, what is going on?" Saffy asked me, dead serious.

"Saffy, you know that I love you. And I wouldn't ask you this if I had any choice." I told her, swallowing the lump in my throat. "If I don't see you again, please, don't let Legolas fade. Take care of everyone, they are going to need you."

"Tell me what the fuck is going on." She ordered. Saffy didn't cuss like I did, and when she did, she was serious.

"Saffy, please trust me." I practically begged her, the pain finally getting to me. "With any luck, I will see you at Isenguard."

Her eyes widened, her mouth setting into a frown. She instantly grabbed onto my shoulder, although it was the one that wasn't injured, I still winced.

"Tell me what you are going to do, Deirdre." She ordered.

"I'm going to take care of things." Was my only response.

I rolled so that I was entirely facing her, ignoring the pain that shot through my shoulder as I did this. I kissed both her cheeks and her forehead, then smiled at her. I dragged myself over to Merry and Pippin, who were still looking incredibly confused. I placed a kiss on both of their foreheads.

"Take care of yourselves. I promise, if I can, I will explain everything later." I reassured them.

I grunted in pain for a moment, then hauled myself to my feet. The pain shooting through my body was incredibly, causing my sight to blur for a few moments. They looked at me worriedly, but I simply waved off their concern. I turned to face the orcs and was met with several beady glares aimed at me.

I set my face in an angry expression, my jaw set harshly. It seemed for almost a second that the Uruks and Orcs were uncomfortable with my presence and facial expression.

"Who is in charge here?" I demanded, my voice coming out as a harsh command.

"That would be me." An even rougher voice than mine said, as the leader of the Uruks came to stand in front of me.

He towered over me, but I stood my ground as I glared up at him. He sneered at my attitude, breathing a foul wind down upon me. He smelled like death and decay. My stance was set as I stood next to him. Standing face to face with people who were much taller than me was not new to me.

"You will take me to Isenguard now." I ordered him.

"Why would I listen to an insignificant whore like you?" he snarled.

"Because, you morons were too stupid to fix my wound. If I die, your master will wear your guts for garters. Or did you forget that you were sent with specific instructions to bring us back, alive and unspoiled." I sneered back at him.

"Then you can wait like your friends." He told me, about to turn away.

"So when I die from an infected arrow wound, you are going to tell Saruman that you denied a willing hostage to be taken to Isenguard sooner?" I asked him harshly, I was getting used to arguing with the Uruk now, talking in a harsh manner.

"I would kill you myself if it would stop your complaining." He yelled at me.

"Well, doesn't it suck for it not to be within your power then. Send me on to Isenguard with a few Uruks as guards, and you will be spared my complaints." I snarled at him.

He contemplated this for a moment, probably thinking that there would be punishment for not all the hostages being carried there at the same time. Or punishment for allowing his troops to take a breather instead of racing on to Isenguard as ordered.

"Very well." The Uruk said, then motioned for two Uruks to come over. "You two will take the wench to Isenguard."

They grunted in annoyance that their breaks were being cut short, but knew better than to question orders.

"Deirdre, what are you doing?" Saffy's voice came out shocked.

I turned back to look at her, beginning to arrange my face and attitude to what would be necessary to survive my time at Isenguard. A emotionless expression upon my face, I regarded her and the hobbits as though they were insignificant.

"I'm making the right choice." I told her harshly. But internally my voice was pleading with her to understand, though I knew that it was not likely.

I was quickly hauled onto the shoulders of one of the Uruks, who was meant to be my guard. They took off running before I had the chance to give one last reassuring glance at my friends. Though I knew that it would have begun to chip away at the tough façade I was going to have to build up, I couldn't help but feel remorse for leaving them in such a way.

**Saffy's POV**

I couldn't believe it. My best friend had just given up her best chance at freedom and willingly gone ahead to Isenguard, knowing that she would have been rescued soon. That she would have been reunited with Legolas, telling him that she was fine in person. _What was she thinking?_, I thought_, leaving that task to me, when she could have been doing it herself._

I watched as she was carried off to Isenguard with her two Uruk guard, it would be a miracle, if she wasn't attacked by the Rohirrim. Or assaulted by her "guards". Shock took over me, _how could she do this? How could she leave me here?_

My train of thoughts consisting of despair was cut off, as the words of the grumpy Uruk-hai reached my ears.

"I'm starving." One grumbled. "We ain't had nothing but maggoty bread for three stinking days."

"Yeah?" The slimy voice of another rang out. "Why can't we have some meat? They're fresh."

All eyes went over to us, it probably wasn't helping our case that Saruman was already going to be given one of his "prizes". I was getting a little worried about what our worth was exactly to these Uruks, other than the fear of punishment from Saruman, we weren't worth much.

"They are not for eating." The lead Uruk said, the same one that had argued with DiDi.

"What about their legs? They don't need those." Another slimy orc said, he began slowly approaching us with a ravenous look in his eyes. "Oh, they look tasty."

The leader stepped in, shoving the orc away from us. He had moved to stand before us in a protective manner, it was good to know that he at least wanted to follow orders.

"Get back, scum." He growled at the Orc. "The prisoners go to Saruman. Alive and unspoiled."

The Orc looked intrigued now, peering at us with wide curious eyes. He tilted his head, as his mouth opened a little. Overall, the sight was incredibly disgusting.

"Alive?" he questioned. "Why alive? Do they give good sport?"

"They have something. An elvish weapon. The master wants it for the war." The leader explained to him, still standing before us.

"They think we have the Ring." Pippin whispered, making it once again obvious he was not the brains of their friendship.

"Ssh! As soon as they find out we don't, we're dead." Merry told him.

"Just a mouthful…" a sickening voice said from right behind us, making me turn around to face the Orc with his raised blade. "A little off the flank."

The leader of the Uruks turned at his voice, anger radiating off him. As revolting as he was, he was currently saving us. Suddenly, I was pressed down, the sound of a blade cutting through flesh, made bile rise in my throat. As I was bent down, I didn't see what happened next. But I could definitely feel the head that rolled down over me, spurting blood onto me. The rank smell filled my nose, making me slam my hand over my nose and mouth to block it out of my nostrils.

"Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys." The leader announced.

I grabbed Merry and Pippin, pulling them away from the cannibalism that was currently commencing as the sounds of bites being taken was heard. The Orcs helped push us backwards, as we hit the ground, so that they could eat the corpse of the Orc.

"Let's go." Merry said, as we began to crawl away from the mass of Orcs and Uruks scrabbling about for their mouthful.

Suddenly, Pippin is stopped. Pausing in our escape crawl to look back at what was stopping Pippin. Only to see the Orc from earlier, who was debating for our deaths, with his sword drawn and aimed at Pippin.

"Go on. Call for help." He sneered down at Pippin. "Squeal. No one's going to save you now."

The Orc raises his blade, aiming to strike Pippin down. Just when the blow is about to be delivered, his eyes get wide. After a moment, I see that there is a spear now sticking out of his back. There is mass confusion, as the Rohirrim launch an attack on the Uruk-hai camp. There are screams sounding throughout the area, and with no weapons, a fight isn't the best place to be. I shove the hobbits onwards, towards the trees.

There is a fallen axe on the ground, which Merry quickly begins cutting the ropes around his wrists. Then once completed, he moves the axe and saws through Pippin's bonds. When it is finally my turn, I slice through the bonds, then grab the axe as a weapon. Sure, I had never used an axe before, but it was better than nothing.

"You two, go. Go into the forest, it's going to be the safest place for you." I told them.

"What about you?" Merry asked me, pausing before he was going to follow my instructions.

The hobbits began running for the forest, while I began trying to find my own route. I guess since I was light-haired, I didn't have to worry as much about getting hurt by the Rohirrim. They must have just thought I was a rider of Rohan who had lost their horse. I sliced the axe through an orc in my journey to the bushes, having to dodge another blow. The axe was definitely heavier than the swords that I was used to, so my movements were significantly slowed. I fought my way through the commotion, finally reaching my destination of the tree line. There were still Orcs and Uruks who were coming after me, but now when they stopped coming I could have a relatively safe place to hide.

I continued to cut down every Orc and Uruk that attacked me, there was a pile in front of me of about five or ten, when finally the sounds of the skirmish halted. The sound of horses neighing and stomping their feet continued, as well as the sound of dismounting soldiers. I glanced out from my hiding place, seeing that the Rohirrim were searching for survivors and beginning to pile the carcasses of the dead Orcs.

I leaned back against the tree that I stood next to, taking a moment to catch my breath. Hopefully, Merry and Pippin had found Treebeard by now. Maybe even Deirdre was already safe, but I couldn't count to heavily on that, merely hope.

"Lord Eomer!" A male voice shouted. "There seems to be a young woman here."

I opened my eyes, which I must have shut to block out the movement of the soldiers. Standing before me, was a relatively young man with his sword drawn. I swallowed, hoping that just maybe I wouldn't be injured by the riders of Rohan.

A second man came to stand beside the first; he had a horse hair plume coming from his helmet. He lowered his blade, sheathing it at his side. Then he removed his helmet. This must have been Eomer, as he extended his hand to have me come out into the open.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

I took his hand and nodded. It was still night, but there was plenty of light from the beginnings of the bonfire of Orc corpses.

"Yeah, I think I am." I told him, though it was more to myself than to him.

**Deirdre's POV**

The sun was rising as we arrived at Isenguard. By now, Saffy would be safe and away from her captors. Pippin and Merry would be in the Fangorn, hopefully having met up with Treebeard. Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn would be racing to save us, fear-filled that they would be too late. And by now, Frodo and Sam would have Gollum as their guide. But me, I was nearing a place that I feared, with an arrow still embedded in my shoulder. I was going to have to lie my ass off in order to survive this.

I was led into the base of the tower of Orthanc, I kept my head held high. If I was going to manage this, then no weakness could be shown. Saruman swept into the room that I was standing in, rage billowing out from him.

"Where are the others?" he demanded of the Uruks.

"We brought this one ahead under the orders of Ugluk. She was injured when we took her." One of the Uruks said, trying to avoid Saruman's wrath.

"I told them to bring me here ahead of the others." I told him, my gaze not wavering even though pain was shooting through my shoulder.

"And why would you do that?" Saruman asked. He definitely was intimidating in person.

"I would think that was obvious, Saruman." I told him, a smirk coming on my face. "I want to help you."

He paused for a moment, obviously shocked with what I was saying, which I really couldn't blame him for.

"You want to help me?" he questioned, although he was shocked there was still power in his tone.

"Of course." I said, smiling slightly. "What could I gain from being on the losing side? Which is why, I want to help you."

"You know the future, do you not?" he enquired, obviously the enemy knew more about Saffy and I then most of the Fellowship did, not a comforting notion.

"Is that not why you told your Uruks to bring me to you?" I returned, my brow arching slightly.

"It is." He said, looking down his nose at me in, as though examining me. "You are saying that we are going to win this war?"

"Was there ever any doubt?" I questioned, I figured the best way to survive this one was going to be a little ego stroking. "Who could stand against the power of both Isenguard and Mordor?"

One corner of his mouth lifted in a skewed smile, fitting the evil man who wore the smile. Apparently, he hadn't taken too much convincing to accept my aid. Though I was sure, if it came down to it, Sauron would take more.

"Tell me, if you wanted to join this side. Why did you travel with those fools?" he questioned, he really did have a massive ego.

"I landed in Imladris. The only way that I was going to get out from the ever watchful eyes of Elrond was to travel with the fellowship. Besides, it landed me quite nicely at your door, if I do say so myself." I told him, looking quite proud of myself. "Now that we have settled that. Would you mind dealing with the arrow that your moronic soldiers put in my shoulder and have left there for the last three days."

His smile faded a little, but he nodded his head. Obviously, he was glad that I was working for him, but maybe I should be a little nicer to him. Considering my life was currently in his hands, though that didn't mean that I had to help him in the right ways.

"Come this way." He ordered, walking back up the stairs to his study.

I followed him, not looking back at the Uruks, who I had left in the base room of the tower. My body panged with agony as I ascended the stairs. He motioned for me to take a seat by a table at the top level of Orthanc. He brought over a bowl of water and a cloth, giving them to me. Obviously not planning on taking care of my injury.

"You are going to start telling me everything you know. And how exactly you are going to help me. Otherwise, you will be finding your end on the end of my Uruks spears." He threatened, as I reached up to my shoulder.

I pulled the arrow from my shoulder, dropping it on the table and dipped the cloth in the water. Then I glanced back at him, a twisted smile on my face.

"Of course, Lord Sauron." I told him, causing an equally twisted smile to appear on his face.

***End Chapter 16***

Please don't hate me, but it's necessary. Read and Review.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I own nothing as always.

***Chapter 17***

**Saffy's POV**

I had sat around, fighting the urge to gag, as the bodies of the Uruk-hai burned. The stench of rotting flesh still pervaded that air, as the Rohirrim finished setting up their bloody ceremony. The head of one of the Uruks had been impaled upon one of the spears of a dead Rohirric soldier. There had only been two losses on the side of the Rohirrim, and so there were only two extra horses. One of which, I would be riding.

"Why were you in the company of Saruman's Uruks?" Eomer asked me, watching his men complete the presentation of their massacre.

"My friends and I was kidnapped, taken hostage by the Uruks and were going to be brought to Saruman."

"Where are your friends now?" he asked me. This wasn't an interrogation; instead he was just trying to figure out how he could help.

"Two of them, ran off into the forest during the skirmish." I said, thinking of the hobbits.

"And the others?"

"The other was taken to Isenguard ahead of us. She was injured." I explained, glazing over the details of why DiDi was gone.

"Was she grievously injured?"

"An arrow wound to the shoulder, which the arrow had been embedded in her shoulder for the past four days now." I told him, not really wanting to go into this, as I was still upset with her.

He nodded his head. Confusion written clearly across his face, he turned from looking at me and stared at his men.

"Why were you being taken by the Uruk-hai anyways?" he asked me.

"Because I was traveling with a group on an important mission." I told him, again not wanting to talk about it.

"And what was this mission?"

"It is not my business to tell you. But it is for our side in the war effort." I assured him. "I was sent from Rivendell with my companions."

He nodded his head, clearly unsatisfied with my answer. But I doubted he was willing to press the issue much further.

"Some of my friends should be looking for us though. They have been following us since we were abducted." I told him.

"How do you know that?" he asked me.

"The Uruks smelled them following after us, which made them pick up their pace even more. They shouldn't be too far behind."

"Nevertheless, you will be traveling with me and my men. We will not leave a young woman defenseless. These are dangerous lands; there are often orcs who attack our people." He told me.

"So I'm stuck with you all unless we possibly run into my friends?"

"It seems so." He told me, smiling slightly.

Right then and there, I knew he was going to be a headache. I only hoped that I would run into Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli soon, so that I wouldn't end up wandering around the lands of Rohan with an army of men.

"Fine." I told him; apparently, the men had finished their arrangements for the corpses and now were waiting to head out.

He rose from his place next to me, going over and grabbing his horse. I moved over to one of the riderless horses, staring at it for a moment. Horses weren't exactly my forte, but I swung myself into the saddle and held on tight.

"Saffron." Eomer's voice rang out, causing me to look over at him. "You will ride next to me."

I nodded my head, pausing for a moment to adjust to sitting astride the horse on my own. Sidling up next to Eomer, I pulled back on the reins to halt the horse. He nodded his head, then shouted for his men to move out.

We traveled across the plains of Rohan, passing through both low and high yellow grass. Eomer asked me a little more about my traveling companions. I told him about Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli who were tracking us, so that he would know who they were when he saw them. Dawn had risen about an hour ago, when we there was a call from behind us.

"Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?" I heard Aragorn's voice call out to us.

Eomer begins to turn the company around, I rode next to him the entire time, as we circled around my three friends. Unfortunately, before I could face my friends, there were riders blocking my path and probably thinking that they were guarding me.

"What business does an Elf, a Dwarf, and a Man have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly." Eomer ordered them to answer.

"Give me your name, horse master. And I shall give you mine." Gimli's deep voice sounded, causing a smile to appear on my face.

Eomer dismounted, walking forward toward Gimli. He was clearly annoyed by Gimli's attitude. But I had told him about my friends, who would be looking for me.

"I would cut off your head, Dwarf… if it stood but a little higher from the ground." Eomer returned.

"You would die before your stroke fell." Legolas declared, having drawn his bow and had an arrow notched, and aimed directly at Eomer's face.

Suddenly, every spear that the Rohirrim had was aimed at my three friends. I huffed as I threw my hands up in the air, I couldn't believe they were still doing this after I had told them.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli, son of Gloin. And Legolas of the woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan and of Theoden, your king." Aragorn stated, being the voice of reason within the three.

"Theoden no longer recognizes friend from foe." Eomer states sadly. "Not even his own kin."

As he said this he pulled his helmet off, revealing his face to my three companions. His hand went up in a signal that the soldiers should stop pointing their spears at them.

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king…and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say… as an old man hooded and cloaked. And everywhere, his spies slip past our nets." Eomer stated, silently accusing them of being spies of Saruman.

I rolled my eyes at this. He was completely ignoring what I had told him, though this was probably his way of making sure that they were whom they said they were.

"We are no spies." Aragorn stated. "We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken four of our friends captive."

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night." Eomer told him.

"But there were two hobbits, and two women." Gimli declared. "Did you see them."

Eomer nodded his head in a jerky motion, causing the soldiers in front of me to part. Finally, I could see my friends clearly. I quickly dismounted my horse and rushed forward to give them hugs. I quickly embraced Legolas and Aragorn, even going so far as to hug Gimli.

"Saffron?" Aragorn questioned at first, unbelieving that I was actually here and safe. "Oh, thank the Valar that you are alright. But where are the others?"

"I'll tell you once we are on our way." I told him, trying to delay explaining the fate of our friends.

"We will leave you now. You still need to look for your friends." Eomer stated. "Hasufel. Arod. May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell."

He nodded to us all, having given us the horses who's masters had died in the attack the previous night.

"Look for your friends, but do not hope to trust. It has forsaken these lands." Eomer stated, then he shouted to his men. "We ride north."

And with that Eomer and his Rohirrim rode off into the North, disappearing onto the horizon. I turned back to look at my friends who all were looking at me with expectant expression on their faces.

"Do you see that pillar of smoke rising?" I questioned, to which they all nodded their heads. "That's where we need to be."

They nodded their heads, probably understanding that I didn't want to talk about it just yet. Aragorn and Legolas each took their own separate mounts, I moved over toward Aragorn. He extended his head down to me, helping me up behind him. With a glance over, I saw that Gimli was already up behind Legolas, who was looking disheartened. It probably wasn't helping that I wasn't telling him what happened with Deirdre, he was probably worried out of his mind.

We rode to the pile of burning carcasses, the stench, which I had grown somewhat used to earlier, was far worse this time around. The air had more time to become infected with the stench, as well as the fire had more time to burn. There were several heads impaled upon spears and swords, the Rohirrim had taken their anger out effectively on the corpses of the Uruks.

"Where are the others, Saffron?" Aragorn asked, once we had arrived at the sight of the battle from last night.

"Merry and Pippin ran into Fangorn." I told him, pausing for a second. "At least that was the plan when we separated."

Aragorn nodded his head, but as I glanced over at Legolas, his expression was confused and decidedly dark.

"Where is Deirdre?" he asked, his voice coming out somewhat rough with emotion. It was a mixture of anger that I hadn't told him, worry, and sadness that she may be dead.

"Isenguard." I told him. As much as I tried the word not to come out as bad, it definitely did.

Legolas jumped down off his horse, leaving a dazed Gimli in the saddle, who had narrowly dodged a kick to the head. He picked up a helmet from the ground and threw it at the pile of burning Uruks. Then seeming a little more calmed, he turned back to look at me. Worry apparent on his face, he looked like a broken man.

"Why is she in Isenguard?" he asked, his voice coming out quietly, yet it still held that roughness to it.

"Legolas, we should really worry about finding Pippin and Merry." I told him, trying to avoid the subject of why Deirdre had gone ahead, because I was still figuring it out myself.

"Saffron." Legolas' voice sounded harsh and angry. "Why was she taken ahead?"

I looked away from him, thankful that I was still sitting behind Aragorn in the saddle. I bit my lip, knowing that what I was going to tell him would make him even angrier.

"She wanted to go ahead." I muttered, knowing that he would hear me with his superior elf hearing.

"What?" he asked me, clearly annoyed with what I was saying.

"The Uruks had left the arrow in her shoulder all the time that we were traveling. And she said she needed to go ahead to get it taken care of." I explained, still not making eye contact with him.

"Saffron? What aren't you telling us?" Legolas demanded, his hands were clenched at his sides.

"I don't know." I told him. "She wasn't exactly upfront with her plan. She just made her goodbyes and ordered the leader of the Uruk-hai to send her on to Isenguard ahead of the rest of us. Even though she knew you guys were coming to find us."

"She knew that we would be here?" Legolas said quietly, shock wearing into his tone. Disbelieving that Deirdre, knowing he was coming for her, left of her own accord.

"Yeah, she knew." I told him, finally meeting his eyes. " But for right now, the only thing that we can do is try and find Merry and Pippin."

I climbed down off the horse and looked at the ground, to say that tracking was a skill of mine would be a blatant lie. I looked up at Aragorn, who was now dismounting from our horse.

"Alright, time to do your thing. Find them." I told him.

He gave a half-hearted smile, then looked to the ground and began sorting through the tracks. It took him a little while to pick up the hobbits tracks and then started where the hobbits tracks had split from mine.

"They indeed go into Fangorn." He stated as he reached the edge of the forest.

"Fangorn? What madness drove them in there?" Gimli questioned, wondering why they had run in there, and why that was our plan.

"Deirdre told them to. It was the safest place for them to go to." I explained.

"Fangorn? Safe?" Gimli questioned, shocked at the idea.

"Yes, now if you are done being afraid of trees, I think we should go after them now." I told him, annoyed that he was afraid of the forest.

The others nodded their heads and we entered into the dark forest, which so many had a fear of, leaving the brilliance of the sunlight behind.

**Deirdre's POV**

"I wouldn't hold your breath on the return of your Uruk-hai." I told him, deciding that I should start there.

His eyebrow arched, but I was a little more worried about taking care of the cleansing of my wound. I winced when the cloth touched it, earning me an annoyed look from Saruman.

"I apologize for the delay in information. But I will be of no use to you dead." I told him, having to bite the inside of my lip to stop a gasp as the pain renewed itself. "Your Uruks are dead by now. Burning in a pile."

"And why do you say this?" he asked me.

"Because, the Rohirrim attacked during the night, shortly after I left with the two Uruks who brought me here. They were piled and burning by early morning." I told him.

"How did the Rohirrim know of their presence?"

"They had lit a fire, to take a breather as they said. But the better question would be why the Rohirrim were in the area in the first place." He raised his eyebrow once more. "Your subordinate, Wormtongue."

"What did Wormtongue do?"

"The banishment of Eomer and his men, pressed through by one Grima Wormtongue, robbed you of the prize of the halflings and my friend." I told him, washing my wound as I did so. "Had I not left when I did, I would have been unable to reach Orthanc."

"So a random twist of fate, between Wormtongue banishing the horsemaster and the break that my troops took, robbed me of my prize?" he questioned.

"Barring me?" I said rhetorically. "Yes, it did."

"And you are a prize as well?"

"Am I not providing you information, information which would not reach you for a good deal of time? Not including the fact that I can help you win the battle against Rohan." I told him.

"There is no need for war against Rohan. I have complete control over Theoden." He proclaimed proudly.

"For now, you do." I told him. "But that is not what is important."

"You mean to tell me that I will lose control over Rohan?"

"Yes, I do, and rather shortly. However, it is one of those things that must happen in order for success."

"I have a firm hold on Rohan." He assured me.

"When Theoden is free from your hold and Wormtongue comes sniveling back here, then you shall believe me." I told him.

I had managed to wipe away all the blood, and had sufficiently cleansed the room. After dipping the cloth into the water once more, I looked down to see the red swirling in the water.

"I need a needle and thread." I informed him.

"Excuse me?"

"My wound needs to be sewn shut, therefore I need a needle and thread. Though, a stiff drink would be more than welcome as well."

His face hardened for a moment, then he moved from his place opposite me. He called out the door for a servant to come, except there were no servants in Orthanc other than Orcs and Uruk-hai. An orc showed up rather quickly, waiting for instruction.

"Fetch a needle and thread, as well as some ale." He told the Orc, who quickly went to fetch the requested items.

"You will be given a room here, if what you say comes true, then I will listen to what more you have to say." He told me.

Just then the orc reappeared with a tankard of ale, and a sewing kit. Handing them to Saruman, who quickly dismissed the Orc. Saruman dropped the sewing kit on the table before me and placed the tankard of ale down. I took a large swig of the ale, letting it numb me to the slightest extent. I grabbed a needle out of the sewing kit, and threaded it, tying it off at the end.

With another gulp of the ale, I made the first stitch. It stung like hell, but I had to keep going. I took yet another swig, enjoying the feeling of the alcohol burning my throat, and the bitter aftertaste. After a few minutes of sewing my wound together and drinking the ale, I had succeeded in sewing it shut.

Considering that my only skill with a needle and thread had been sewing on buttons and making a small bag once, it was pretty impressive that I had succeeded in stitching my own wound. Since I doubted that I was going to get a knife to cut the thread, I leaned over and ripped the thread with my teeth. There was still the occasional throb of pain from my shoulder, but it would definitely start healing now. I chugged the last of the ale, using it as a painkiller, as they didn't have any drugs like Ibuprofen in Middle Earth.

"Are you sufficiently healed?" he questioned blandly.

"Yes, I am." I told him.

"Good," he stated then called another Orc. "he will show you to your room."

I nodded my head in thanks, then began walking over to the Orc, who stood just outside the doorway. I said a thank you to Saruman, then I followed the Orc. I was lead to a chamber that was plain with a black bed on it. There was even a vanity set up on one side of the room, made of ebony. The bed in the center of the room was a four-poster canopy bed with black curtains hanging down on the sides. As much as I hated to say it, my room at Orthanc was beautiful. I moved over to the bed, pulling the curtains aside and flopped down on the bed.

_At least I wasn't dead yet_, I thought to myself. Having to lie to Saruman all the time was going to wear on me, I was already tired of lying all the time. But it wasn't going to get any better, I couldn't be Deirdre or DiDi here. I needed to be cold and cruel. If anything was going to get done, and go the way that I hoped, I was going to have to be a heartless bitch. And for the first time, I was alone without protection. All the time that I had been at home, I had a big brother looking out for me, as well as my male friends, even most of my female friends. Then when I got to Middle Earth, I found Bainanu. And almost immediately after that I had become friends with Merry and Pippin, then Saffy arrived. I had never really been on my own before, there were always people that I could depend on. But now, I was completely on my own.

With this train of thought running through my mind, I drifted to sleep. I was grateful to have a soft bed beneath me, even if it was in Isenguard.

**Saffy's POV**

We were walking through Fangorn, as Aragorn still attempted to track the hobbits. Gimli paused for a moment, examining a dark liquid that was on a leaf. To my revulsion, he swiped his finger through it then placed it in his mouth. I couldn't help but be reminded of Deirdre, who once when we were walking through the park after a storm, picked up a small white substance and placed it in her mouth. Luckily for her, it turned out to be hail, but I had reprimanded her for putting a random substance into her mouth, especially one that looked as though it could have been poison.

"Orc blood," Gimli spat the blood from his mouth. I really didn't want to know how he knew what Orc blood tasted like.

Once this was said, we all headed back into a run to find the hobbits. Gimli's grumblings about the dark wood had yet to cease. Aragorn paused for a moment and examined what looked like the imprint of tree roots, which it probably was.

"These are strange tracks." Aragorn stated, still trying to figure out what had left the tracks on the ground.

"The air is so close in here." Gimli complained once more about the forest that we were in.

"This forest is old, full of memory…and anger." It had been the first thing that he had said since we entered the forest and I had told him about Deirdre.

There is a groaning sound of wood moving, which caused Gimli to raise his axe in reflex. I wasn't sure how he was planning on defending himself against trees, but the axe seemed critical in this plan.

"The trees are speaking to each other." Legolas stated, his voice still sounding terse and harsh.

"Gimli! Lower your axe." Aragorn directed him.

Between the instruction from Aragorn and the hand motion signifying peace that Aragorn gave him, Gimli lowered his axe. He must have reached the conclusion that him raising his weapon had caused the increase of talking amongst the trees, as he made an "oh" sound.

"They have feelings, my friend. The Elves began it. Waking up the trees, teaching them to speak." By now, Legolas had calmed down some, as he didn't sound as tense and angry as before.

"Talking trees," Gimli huffed, "What do trees have to talk about? Except the consistency of squirrel droppings."

I gave a single laugh, Gimli must not have thought much of trees, as he oversimplified it. Then again, he was a dwarf and had lived almost his entire life in the mountains.

"Aragorn," Legolas whispered, gaining the rangers attention. " nad no ennas." **Something is out there.**

"Man cenich?" Aragorn questioned in a whisper.

"The White Wizard approaches." He stated, staring off deep into the forest.

"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us." Aragorn said, sounding incredibly superstitious.

"You sound like Gimli did when we entered Lothlorien." I muttered.

They all ignored me, readying their weapons. I rolled my eyes at them, and left my swords at my sides. I crossed my arms, and leaned back against a nearby tree, planning on just watching this one pan out.

"We must be quick." Aragorn quietly told them once more.

The three of them turned around ready to attack the shining white light that was radiating from between two trees. Gimli threw his axe at the bright light, but it deflected and went flying to one side. An arrow flew from Legolas' bow, only to be blocked in the same way that Gimli's axe had been. Aragorn tried to attack with his sword, but the hilt of his sword grew white hot and he dropped the sword with a hiss.

"You are tracking the footsteps of two hobbits." A voice rang out, sounding suspiciously like Saruman.

"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded, using one of his hands to block some of the brilliant light, but still staring into it in defiance.

"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" the voice questioned, slowly as he talked the voice began sounding less like Saruman and more like Gandalf.

"Who are you? Show yourself." Aragorn tried to order once again.

The light fades, I have to blink my eyes a few times as they adjust from the bright light. But standing where the light had been blocking out his figure, was Gandalf. He was garbed completely in white robes, his hair and beard now a clean white as they had not been before he fell.

"It cannot be." Aragorn muttered shocked.

"Forgive me," Legolas stated, as he and Gimli dropped down into a bow in apology. "I thought you were Saruman."

"I am Saruman." Gandalf stated. " Or rather, Saruman as he should have been."

"You fell." Aragorn stated in disbelief.

"Through fire… and water." He explained, his eyes unfocusing as he lapsed into a memory. "From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak… I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last, I threw down my enemy… and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me… and I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead… and everyday was as long as a life age of the Earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back, until my task is done."

With this explanation given, his eyes refocused upon us. There was a slight smile on his face as he looked the four of us over. Though there was a hint of worry when he glanced over at me, he was probably wondering where Deirdre was.

"Gandalf." Aragorn stated, his shock beginning to wear off and a smile was now upon his face.

"Gandalf?" he asked, slightly confused for a moment. "Yes. That is what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey. That was my name."

"Gandalf." Gimli states, a smile upon his face as he looks up at the wizard and rises from the ground.

"I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you now… at the turn of the tide."

"It's good to have you back, Gandalf. But we should probably get out of Fangorn before the trees decide to kill Gimli."

He smirked and gave a little chuckle, but I heard Gimli huff in annoyance. Gandalf moved forward, coming down from the rock that he was standing on. He was still taller than the rest of us, but the height difference was a little obvious still. Gandalf pulled a grey cloak from god, I mean Valar, only knows where. He pulled it over his white robes.

"One stage of your journey is over. Another begins. We must travel to Edoras with all speed." Gandalf told us as we traveled through the forest.

"Edoras?" Gimli questioned. "That is no short distance."

"We hear of trouble in Rohan. It goes ill with the King." Aragorn told Gandalf, ignoring Gimli.

"Yes, and it will not be easily cured." Gandalf told him.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing? Are we to leave those poor hobbits here… in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested-?" Gimli started complaining again, though the sounds of the trees groaning caused him to shut up. "I mean, charming—quite, charming forest."

"It was more than just mere chance that brought Merry and Pippin here. A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones… that starts an avalanche in the mountains." Gandalf told us.

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend." Aragorn told him, causing Gandalf to give him a confused look. "You still speak in riddles."

Both Aragorn and Gandalf laugh as he says that, it's good to see that there can still be some happiness in these dark times.

"A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder days. The Ents are going to wake up… and find that they are strong." Gandalf stated, giving us some clues about what was going to happen.

"Strong?" Gimli scoffs, earning more groans from the trees. "Oh? That's good."

"So stop your fretting, Master Dwarf. Merry and Pippin are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be." Gandalf says light-heartedly.

"This new Gandalf's more grumpy than the old one." Gimli grumbled quietly to himself.

We step out of the shadowy forest, the contrast between the brightness of the day and the dark forest, is shocking. Gandalf lets out a low whistle, a white horse appears on the horizon. The sunlight dances off of the beautiful white horse, as it gallops toward us.

"That is one of the Mearas… unless my eyes are cheated by some spell." Legolas said reverently, awed by the presence of the horse.

When the horse arrives next to us, and our two mounts, Gandalf bows his head in greeting. He strokes the nose of the beautiful white horse, murmuring softly to it.

"Shadowfax. He is the lord of all horses… and has been my friend through many dangers." Gandalf explains, half to us and half to himself.

We all mount onto our horses, Gimli once more rides with Legolas and I mounted up behind Aragorn. We all began the long ride to Edoras, watching the plains pass us by as we travel.

***End Chapter 17***

Alright everyone, it's probably going to start taking a little longer for me to update. After all, I am still in high school. And I still have some dates to meet otherwise I may not graduate. I will try to update almost as regularly.

Read and Review.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: As usual, I own nothing.

***Chapter 18***

**Saffy's POV**

We had ridden all through the day, but finally we were stopping. My ass had gone numb hours ago and my entire body was aching from the repetitive bumping. Thankfully though, we were dismounting and setting up camp. After I dismounted, I stretched my back. Once it made a pleasant popping sound, I relaxed back down, compressing my spine.

It was almost entirely quiet, as we set up camp that night. Legolas had not been talkative all day, deciding not to speak unless spoken to. Personally, I wasn't feeling the best; DiDi leaving was kind of my fault, for not stopping her at least. A campfire was lit, using some of the dry grass, which was so prevalent on the plains, to get the fire going strong. The fire was entirely for heat, as the only thing that we had to eat was Lembas bread. I took a miniscule bite of the bread, and then took a swig from my water skin.

I settled down in my bedroll, not really wanting to talk to the others. Tonight, sleep was difficult to come by. Both Gandalf and Aragorn were awake and talking, as the roar of Gimli's snores echoed through our camp.

"The veiling shadow that glowers in the east takes shape. Sauron will suffer no rival. From the summit of Barad-dur, his Eye watches ceaselessly. But he is not so mighty yet that he is above fear. Doubt gnaws at him. The rumor has reached him, the heir of Numenor still lives." Gandalf stated, his watch set upon the east, and Mordor. "Sauron fears you, Aragorn. He fears what you will become. And so he'll strike hard and fast at the world of Men. He will use his puppet Saruman to destroy Rohan. War is coming. Rohan must defend itself, and therein lies our first challenge… for Rohan is weak and ready to fall. The king's mind is enslaved, it's an old device of their cunning… but we have one advantage. The Ring remains hidden. And that we should seek to destroy it… has not yet entered their darkest dreams. And so the weapon of the enemy is moving toward Mordor… in the hands of a hobbit. Each day brings it closer to the fires of Mount Doom. We must trust in Frodo. Everything depends upon his speed… and the secrecy of his quest."

Aragorn nodded his head. A look of contemplation must have crossed his face, as he sighed deeply.

"You don't think that Deirdre would betray us, do you?" he questioned, trying to stay quiet.

They must not have known that I was awake, as they talked about my best friend as though she would turn to the side of evil without a moment's hesitation. A frown set itself upon my face, I was not going to sit here silently, and listen to them question her loyalty. Deirdre may be many things, but above all else, she is loyal. She had told me in the past, that if it came down to it, that her death could save the lives of others, she would not hesitate to sacrifice herself.

"We can only hope that who she was with us, is who she truly is." Gandalf stated, at this point I sat up.

"Deirdre would never betray us." I told them, my voice sure and slightly agitated.

"Saffron, we do not know what they are doing to her. If they were torturing her, it would be understandable if she told Saruman what we had planned." Aragorn reasoned, trying to soothe me a little.

"But she wouldn't. She would take the torture." I insisted I knew my best friend. "Believe me, she won't betray us."

"I hope that you are right." Gandalf stated solemnly.

I nodded my head, then laid back down in my bedroll. After a while, sleep finally came to me.

The next morning we all ate Lembas bread once more for breakfast (my appetite still hadn't returned in full) and packed our things up. It was silent once more as we prepared for the day's journey. Thankfully we had the horses, as we would arrive at Edoras sometime today. I climbed up behind Aragorn once more and we took off along the plains once more.

The ride was silent, no one wanting to talk, especially not when they would have to compete with the sound of the ravaging wind. The first time that anyone talked, was when Edoras finally came into sight. It was a city on a hill, consisting mainly of thatched houses. If you looked at the villages from the Viking era, this was probably what they looked like. We had stopped to admire the capital of Rohan.

"Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld. There dwells Theoden, King of Rohan… whose mind is overthrown. Saruman's hold over King Theoden is now very strong." Gandalf informed us. "Be careful what you say. Do not look for welcome here."

We began to ride toward Edoras once again, the wind whipped vigorously around us. As we finally neared the entrance to Edoras, a flag bearing a horse landed on the ground near us. Aragorn paused for a moment, glancing down at the flag that was around our horse's feet. As we rode through Edoras, the people came out and lined the sides of the streets, staring at us with a little hope. Standing upon the steps of the great hall, was a blonde woman. She wore a white gown with slight golden embroidery, her hair and gown blowing forward with the force of the wind. After looking directly at our three horses, she turned around and headed back into the hall.

"You'd find more cheer in a graveyard." Gimli stated lowly.

His perception was entirely correct; everyone in the town wore mourning clothes, not a single smile among all the people in the crowd. The children did not run around and play, instead they stood near their mothers, holding onto their skirts.

A few stable-hands came and met us at the foot of the steps to the hall, taking the horses from us. We ascended the steps, only to be met by several guards standing at the top, who had walked out of the hall to block our entrance.

"I cannot allow you before Theoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame. By order of, Grima Wormtongue." As he said this name, the guards face showed signs of disgust which matched his tone.

With a nod from Gandalf, we all began to disarm. I removed my dual blades and handed them over to one of the guards, who was collecting our weapons. I glanced over at Legolas, who had just unfastened DiDi's swords from his waist. He seemed reluctant to part with the blades, but with one last look he handed them over to the guard.

"Your staff." The guard stated, as he nodded his head to Gandalf's staff.

"Hmmm." Gandalf began, looking at his staff. "You would not part an old man from his walking stick."

Somehow he actually managed to look frail and weak as he said that, he hunched his shoulders a little, leaning heavily upon the staff. The guard looked a little worried for a moment then he turned around to lead us into the hall. Gandalf winked slyly at Aragorn, dropped his staff to his side so it would not be easily seen, and took Legolas' offered arm. He and Legolas entered the hall first. Aragorn and Gimli flanked my sides as we entered behind them.

The sniveling man in black leaning against the throne of the King whispered, but the acoustics of the hall carried the noise back to us. His words emphasizing all the "sss" sounds, and the fact that he was whispering made him sound all the more snakelike.

"My lord, Gandalf the Grey is coming. He's a herald of woe." Wormtongue told the King, gripping onto the armrest of the throne.

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened as of late… Theoden King." Gandalf proclaimed, his voice coming out strong and powerful.

With a glance over to the side I saw a menacing group of guards. They were rugged and hairy men. I turned my attention back to the King and Wormtongue once more.

"He's not welcome." Came the slimy voice of Womtongue, once again influencing the king.

"Why should I welcome you… Gandalf Stormcrow?" The voice coming from the heap of grey matter that was the king stated, sounding like gravel.

"A just question, my liege." Wormtongue reassured, he was clearly a sycophant. "Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Lathspell I name him."

Wormtongue had moved closer throughout his speech, coming to stand directly before Gandalf. I glanced over to the side once more, seeing that the group of guards were slowly hedging closer to us.

"Be silent. Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm." Gandalf practically growls back at Wormtongue, raising his staff right next to Wormtongue's face.

Wormtongue's eyes widen as he begins to back away from the wizard. He glanced over at the guards who had been walking at the same pace in the shadows.

"His staff. I told you to take the wizard's staff." Wormtongue groaned at the incompetence of the guards.

The group rushed in to attack us, but was blocked in their attempt to take the staff from the wizard, as we began attacking them. I knocked the legs out from under the first guard who moved to attack me, successfully sending him falling to the ground. The next grabbed my arm, only to have me return the grip and send him swinging past me into a column. Gandalf's voice rang out as we continued to fight.

"Theoden… son of Thengal… too long have you sat in the Shadows." Gandalf attempted to call the mind of the King back to the forefront of the body's consciousness.

All the guards have given up fighting us now, considering that most of them were laying on the ground around our feet. Gimli's foot is pressing down upon the chest of Wormtongue, successfully pinning him in his place.

"I would stay still if I were you." Gimli ordered the wriggling Wormtongue.

"Hearken to me! I release you from the spell." Gandalf spoke, attempting to free the king. He closed his eyes in concentration, holding his hand up before Theoden.

A lifeless laugh erupts from the king, sounding as though air was going through draught ruled tunnels. The cackling laughter finally subsided.

"You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey." The voice came out, sounding like Saruman.

Gandalf threw off his grey cloak, revealing the bright white robes underneath. The strength of the light radiating from Gandalf caused the king to be thrust back against the back of his throne.

"I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound." Gandalf declared as he thrust his staff forward, knocking back the king once more.

The blonde woman from outside, who must have been Eowyn, rushed forward to attempt to aid the king. But she was halted in her path by Aragorn, who grabbed ahold of her, keeping her from her uncle.

"Wait." Aragorn told her. As she gave up attempting to reach her uncle, knowing that she would not win in a struggle with the stronger man.

"If I go, Theoden dies." Saruman growled out through Theoden.

"You did not kill me. You will not kill him." Gandalf ordered, still holding his staff out still.

"Rohan is mine." Saruman roared. "Just like your darling Deirdre."

"Be gone." Gandalf ordered, completely unfazed with what Saruman had said.

Theoden lunged once more at Gandalf, only to be rebuffed by the staff and hit the back of the throne. The body of Theoden began to fall from the throne as a result of being thrown back with such force. Aragorn released Eowyn, as she went running to her uncle and caught him as he fell from the throne. The king began to look younger, his hair shrank back and his face lost many of the wrinkles, which had previously weathered it like the worn pages of an old book.

"I know your face." Theoden stated, staring intently at her face. "Eowyn. Eowyn."

With that Eowyn broke into sobs, hugging her uncle tightly to her. He looked over her shoulder and recognized Gandalf.

"Gandalf?" he questioned, amazed at the sudden appearance of the old wizard.

"Breathe the free air again, my friend." Gandalf told him, as the king slowly rose unsteadily.

"Dark have been my dreams of late." Theoden said, examining his shaking hands before him.

"Your fingers might remember their old strength better, if they grasped your sword." Gandalf suggested.

The lead guard approached the king an intricate sword in his hands, which he offered to the king. The king's hands shook, but his fingers tightened and steadied when grasping the hilt of the sword. He drew the sword slowly from its scabbard, finally holding the blade before his face. The king continued to stare at the sword for a moment, then his eyes left the blade and traveled down to Wormtongue who was still pinned to the floor.

Within moments of the kings order, Wormtongue was thrown out the door of the hall, tumbling down the stairs. The sound of his bones cracking was heard, as he thudded down onto the ground.

"I've only ever served you my lord." Grima plead, beginning to scramble backwards to away from the angry Theoden advancing on him.

"Your leechcraft would have had me crawling on all fours like a beast." Theoden angrily spat at the cowering man.

"Send me not from your sight!" Wormtongue continued to beg, obviously afraid of what would await him in Isenguard.

Theoden raised his sword high over his head, about to slay Wormtongue. But he was stopped by Aragorn, who grabbed the sword on the downward swing, preventing the strike. The king fixed his angry glare on Aragorn.

"No, my lord." Aragorn tried to reason. "No, my lord. Let him go. Enough blood has been spilt on his account."

The king stopped in his action, lowering his sword. Aragorn reached his hand out to help Wormtongue up, only to have his hand spat on by the sniveling man. Grima scrambled to his feet, quickly taking off in a limping run for the stables.

"Get out of my way." He ordered to the people who had gathered around to watch his expulsion.

"Hail, Theoden King." Came the voice of one of the guards.

The call was taken up by all the people around, as everyone bowed down to the king, myself included. The sound of horses hooves beating rapidly against the ground was heard as Wormtongue fled Rohan. Theoden turned from the crowd kneeling before him, looking instead at his guards.

"Where is Theodred?" he questioned, to which everyone remained silent. "Where is my son?"

No one knew how to react, Eowyn's tears returned. But she approached her uncle first, embracing him. She buried her head in his shoulder, she must have whispered what had happened to him at this point. As tears erupted in the king's eyes, as he grasped his niece closer. After a moment, we all returned inside the Golden Hall, welcoming the darkness. The king was left to grieve the loss of his son, as we were shown to rooms by Eowyn. The men would be staying in a temporary room together, while I would be separated in my own guest room. As Eowyn silently walked me to my chamber, I felt sorry for her. Upon arrival, when she turned to walk away and find some place quiet herself, I spoke quietly to her.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I know it may not mean much, but if you need someone to talk to I'm here." I tried to comfort slightly.

She gave me a watery smile and nodded her head, her tears for the most part had receded but another single tear followed the path that the previous ones had taken and ran down her face. She walked off down the hallway after that, and I retired to my room.

**Deirdre's POV**

It had been two days since I had been sent to my chamber, the only time that I had any contact with any other living beings, was when the meals were brought to my room. It was obvious that Saruman didn't trust me yet, as I was sequestered. He must have thought that I was going to taint his troops or something, or he had simply forgotten about me. During the day, I paced the room and relaxed on the bed. Even prison was better than this, they at least got time out to exercise. But I had remained in the chamber set aside for me.

On my second day in the room, there had been a bath drawn for me when I arose, as well as materials to clean my wound once more. New clothes had been left in the bathing room, consisting of all black. Saruman must have been taking the whole being the black wizard seriously. The dress had been a black, corseted bodice with off the shoulder sleeves and a long flowing skirt.

Thankfully there was a balcony attached to my chamber, which meant that at this particular moment, I was looking out over the plains. This balcony was why I saw the dark colored rider speeding toward Isenguard. As he drew nearer, I saw that this must have been Wormtongue. _Finally,_ I thought to myself, _maybe now something would happen._

I watched as he handed his horse over to an Uruk who had gone out to meet him. He then rushed into the base of Orthanc and disappeared from my sight. Taking this as my sign that perhaps soon Saruman would send for me, I headed back inside my chamber and took a seat at the ebony vanity.

There was an ornate brush on the vanity and I brushed through my hair making it silky smooth, as I stared into the mirror mindlessly. I looked paler in the black dress than I had before, this was probably also because I had been rather lifeless recently. The light that was normally shining in my eyes was faded, but my eyes held a hint of shimmer to them still. Their color today was a mix between blue and green, with the center being closer to blue and the ring on the outside a lovely emerald green. My hair was shinier than it had been in a long time, probably due to the fact that I had been brushing it almost constantly for something to do.

I continued to sit at the vanity for a while, drumming my fingers impatiently on the counter. My other hand rested under my chin. I gave yet another exasperated, impatient sigh when finally, a knock sounded at my door. I rose quickly from my seat, smoothing my dress.

"Yes?" I questioned, to which the door opened.

"Master Saruman has requested your presence." An Uruk grunted out, as it stood outside my door.

"Of course," I stated, walking quickly to the door. "Lead the way."

The Uruk led the way and I followed, keeping my back straight and head held high as we passed by masses of leering Orcs and Uruks. I finally reached the door to Saruman's study, as the Uruk stopped outside the door and nodded its head for me to enter. Deciding against knocking, I opened the door. Only to find Saruman standing over a crumpled Wormtongue on the ground.

"I see that Wormtongue has made it back to you." I stated, sweeping into the room and taking a seat in the chair beside the desk.

Wormtongue glanced up at me from his position on the ground and shock crossed his face. I suppose he wasn't sure why I was so comfortable and strong-willed around Saruman.

"Yes, he has." Saruman stated, with one final scathing glance at the pile of a man on the ground.

Saruman returned to his seat behind the desk, avoiding looking at Wormtongue and instead fixing his gaze on me. I refused to waver under his staring, sparing only a quick glance down at Wormtongue, who was now pulling himself up.

"I take it you summoned me then, because you believe what I told you?" I asked rather rhetorically.

"Indeed, it seems that you are willing to help." Saruman stated.

"But of course, considering the help you currently have." I stated, looking down disgusted at Wormtongue.

Saruman hummed in agreement, his eyes leaving me for a moment to cast an equally disgusted look at Wormtongue. Then he returned to looking at me.

"Then I take it you have information for me?" He presumed.

"Yes," I stated rising from my seat and I began pacing. "I know how you are going to get rid of the heir of Elendil."

He visibly perked up at this, his eyebrow raised in question. At this point, Wormtongue had crawled his way onto one of the chairs and sagged against the back.

"The threat of war will drive the people of Rohan to Helm's deep." I told him, to which he nodded his head. "When they are on this road, you will send out your Warg Riders. One of which will send the heir off the cliff."

"You would contribute to the death of your companion?" he questioned, unsure whether I was helping or not.

"Without hesitation. After all, what better way to prove that I am loyal to you, but to end the life of a so-called companion." I suggested, my evil grin reappearing on my face.

He nodded his head an equally cruel smile upon his face at the thought of ending the heir of Elendil. Wormtongue looked between the two of us, worry apparent on his face. He was learning very quickly what he had done to Rohan.

"Have you much skill with a blade?" he questioned me.

"I have enough skill to slaughter many of the Uruks that you sent to attack myself and my party." I told him.

"You shall lend a hand in the training of the troops, to further prove your commitment to the cause." Saruman told me.

"Very well, my lord. They shall respect me if it is the last thing they do in this life." I assured him, my confidence flying sky high.

"Good, what weapons do you prefer?" he questioned. By now he was completely ignoring Wormtongue.

"I have taken a liking to dual swords."

"Very well, some will be provided for you. You will begin working with our army this afternoon."

"Thank you, my lord."

"You are dismissed, Deirdre." Saruman told me, I turned and began heading for the door. "As for you, Wormtongue."

As I shut the door behind me, I heard the echo of another slap. I restrained myself from flinching at the noise. Internally, I was hoping that I would not disappoint Saruman in the same way that Wormtongue had, but I was not going to sabotage my friends.

I returned to my chamber, taking a seat in the chair against one wall. I was going to wait here until my swords were delivered to me and then would go down and introduce myself to the troops.

**Saffy's POV**

Last night I had eaten supper in the dining hall with my traveling companions, but had returned to my room quickly. Legolas had not been the best company and although the others attempted to make up for it, I could still feel he was slightly upset with me that I hadn't stopped DiDi from taking off.

But today, I was standing around in the center of my given room in just my corset and underwear, not sure what I was supposed to wear. Today was the funeral of Theodred, and I knew that my silvery gown that I had been given in Lothlorien for traveling was not appropriate. But it was the only clothing that I had with me. There was a scowl on my face as I contemplated this. A knock sounded on my door, making me jump slightly. I turned around to face the door.

"Who is it?" I asked cautiously.

"It's Eowyn." Came the reply.

I walked over to the door, pulling it open but keeping my body behind the door. I peered around the edge looking at the woman, who were black in grief.

"I was thinking that you probably did not have appropriate clothing for the funeral today." She stated, her voice coming out soft and sad.

"Oh, yeah. I only have the one dress." I explained, now noticing the bundle of black fabric that was in her hands.

"May I come in?" she timidly requested.

I nodded my head and pulled the door more open for her. She entered the room and looked over at me, upon seeing me in my undergarments she looked away rather quickly. With her eyes averted from my rather exposed form, she handed me the black cloth. Which I gratefully took, as it unbundled in my hands I saw it was a long plain black dress.

I slipped into the dress and turned back around to face her. She smiled softly at me when she saw the dress on me. It was long and flowed in a pretty fashion, rather than having a lot of ornamentation there was simply a cinched in waist. It didn't have a high collar as hers did, but was a scoop neck. Aside from the fact that it was a little tight on me, it looked appropriate for the day.

I went over to the vanity and ran the brush through my hair, leaving it down so that one side could fall before my eyes. Once I had finished this I turned back around to face Eowyn.

"I was wondering if you would accompany me to the funeral." She quietly requested, her grief apparent through her timid manner.

"Yes, it would be nice to stand with someone who I know." I responded, not entirely sure how I should respond to her request.

We both left my room then, making our way outside the hall and the city over to the burial mounds. There was a companionable silence as we walked, it seemed appropriate, as she had lost her cousin. We took our place beside the other women who stood near the burial mounds. There was an opening in one of the mounds, we stood where we could watch the procession of the body.

The funeral started, slowly a procession made its way with the body of the prince on a stretcher. Leading the procession was King Theoden, there were no tears in his eyes, as he had to be strong for his people, but the grief was clearly displayed in his gait. As the procession marched on, Eowyn's voice began a lament in Rohirric.

_Bealocwealm hafað fréone frecan forth onsended _  
_giedd sculon singan gléomenn sorgiende_  
_on Meduselde þæt he ma no wære_  
_his dryhtne dyrest and mæga deorost._  
_Bealo..._

**An evil death has set forth the noble warrior****  
****A song shall sing sorrowing minstrels****  
****in Meduseld that he is no more,****  
****to his lord dearest and kinsmen most beloved.****  
****An evil death...**

As she finished her sorrow-filled lament, the crowd began to disperse. During the song her tears had fallen down her face, now rolling in fat drops. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, which she leaned into. She needed the comfort right now, we began walking back to the Golden Hall. But when we neared Theoden, she pulled from my comfort and gave her uncle a hug. Then she returned to me and we walked into the Golden Hall in silence.

We sat in the Golden Hall silently at the great banquet tables. Eowyn held her head in her hands and I sat next to her, a hand resting on her shuddering shoulders. Her hair had begun to fall from its finely arranged style, only a few strands, but it was an outward sign of her despair. After another moment of this, she sat up fixing her hair back into its up-do.

Just then the doors to the hall burst open. Carrying two famished looking children, was two of the guards. Eowyn sprang into action, having them set the children down at the table. She sent a servant to the kitchens for food and another for blankets and clean water and cloth. The servants ran off to do as she ordered, while Eowyn went over and began checking over the children. I moved to help her, checking the little girl for injuries. She seemed to be unscathed, merely exhausted and hungry.

The servants returned bring the supplies that Eowyn had requested. She wrapped a blanket around either child's shoulders. The children began eating ravenously, while both Eowyn and I began to clean a little of the dirt from their faces.

The king entered the hall then, with my companions in tow. He took a seat on the throne, looking at the children who were eating. He must have gotten some overview of what was happening, as he took it all in stride. Gandalf settled down to his right, while the others took their places at a nearby table.

Eowyn looked up at her uncle, looking away from the children for the first time. She absent-mindedly smoothed the hair of the little boy sitting next to her.

"They had no warning. They were unarmed. Now the wild men are moving through the Westfold, burning as they go. Rick, cot, and tree." Eowyn informed him of what we had learned from the children.

"Where is Mama?" the little girl, whose name we had learned was Freda, said.

"Hush, love." I soothed, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. The little girl returned to eating her food.

"This is but a taste of the terror that Saruman will unleash. All the more potent for he is now driven by fear of Sauron. Ride out and meet him head on. Draw him away from your women and children. You must fight." Gandalf insisted, he unconsciously put his hand on the armrest of the throne.

Theoden looked down at the hand on his chair, it was placed in the same way that Wormtongue had done when he coerced the king. Theoden eyed Gandalf speculatively, unsure if this was the best option.

"You have 2000 good men riding north as we speak. Eomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their king." Aragorn tried his hand at convincing the king.

"They will be 300 leagues by now. Eomer cannot help us. I know what it is that you want of me. But I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war." Theoden stated, glancing over at the children as he spoke.

"Open war is upon you. Whether you will risk it or not." Aragorn declared, earning him a dark look from the king.

"When last I looked… Theoden, not Aragorn, was king of Rohan." He retorted angrily, not liking that his opinion was coming under scrutiny.

A loud burp erupts from Gimli, who when I look over was wiping his mouth with his beard. I looked back at the scene between the Theoden and my companions.

"Then what is the king's decision?" Gandalf asked, attempting to placate the angered king.

Theoden pauses for a moment, but with a last glance over at his niece and the children, his face gains a determined look.

"Helms deep." He stated simply, then he moved to his guard whose name was Hama.

Hama went outside of the Hall to make the announcement to the people of Edoras. My friends went to settle things themselves, while I remained behind with Eowyn. I wouldn't really need to pack anything up, just take my swords, which had been returned to me, and reattach my cloak.

When the children were significantly taken care of, I offered to help Eowyn prepare for the journey. And with that I was cast into a flurry of preparations.

***End Chapter 18***

Sorry it took so long to post this chapter. My account decided it hated me. But everything should be good now. Read and Review ;D


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 19***

**Deirdre's POV**

It only took about fifteen minutes before there was a knock at my door. I swung the door open and was met with an Uruk holding two swords with ornate hilts that were attached to a belt. I took them from the Uruk, nodding my head to signal his dismissal. I fastened the belt around my waist, allowing the swords to hang off of each of my hips. As soon as this was done, I strode from my chamber, slamming the door behind me. I walked to Saruman's study. Perhaps this time I should knock as he wasn't expecting me. I slammed my fist against the door three times. If I was going to knock, I wasn't going to be weak.

"Enter." Came the irritated voice of Saruman.

I threw the door open, striding confidently into the room. Wormtongue was still in the study, only this time he was sitting in a chair with a cloth pressed to his lip.

"Since I have my swords, I figured I should begin my assessment of your troops." I told him, my voice coming out steady under his harsh gaze.

"So you should. There should be a large group still in the underground training area." Saruman stated.

He then called out the door for an Orc. After a moment, an Orc appeared and was told to take me down to the troops. I nodded my head in farewell to Saruman, completely ignoring Wormtongue. The Orc lead me down into the pits of Isenguard, there was a training area with dozens of Uruks. The air rang with the sound of metal on metal, and heat radiated from the furnaces.

When I reached the training area, every Uruk turned to look at me. It was time to establish my dominance, I found a ledge that I could stand on. I towered over the Uruks by about a foot standing on the ledge. The Uruks stared at me curiously, wondering why I was there.

"I am Deirdre, and will be assessing your fighting abilities today. You will listen to the orders that I give you, or you will not have a place in this army." I ordered. Grunts and grumbles arose amongst the Uruks. "Any questions?"

"Why should we listen to you?" An Uruk standing just below me questioned.

I glowered down at the Uruk, my face an emotionless mask. But my eyes showed anger and hatred.

"Because I am in charge here." I said, kicking the Uruk in the face. "The only orders you are to follow above mine are Saruman's."

The Uruk fell backward, knocking into some of the Uruk behind him. There were grumbles going amongst the Uruks, who watched the other Uruks shove the Uruk back into his place.

"Am I clear?" I questioned in a commanding voice.

No one said a word. I think they got that I was serious. I grinned evilly down at the Uruks.

"Now that we have that established. You will show me your fighting ability." I demanded. "Pair off."

The Uruks did as I commanded, pairing off and beginning to fight one another. I watched in disgust as they began to beat each other. There was a chief Uruk to the side watching the exhibit that his men were displaying. I shook my head in shock. They were so rudimentary in their fighting ability. Not a single Uruk utilized any ability other than what they naturally had. It was no wonder that they would be cut down so effectively by the untrained people of Rohan.

"You there." I shouted at the Uruk standing to the side. "Here."

I pointed to the ground next to my ledge, he followed my order and came over to the place that I had indicated. He looked up at me proud of his troops.

"Do you think that your troops will be able to survive a fight?" I questioned.

"Of course, we have strength on our side." He grinned as he spoke.

"This is pathetic." I ground out, glaring at the grinning Uruk.

His smile left his face as I spoke. He looked as though he was about to object to what I said, when Saruman arrived and approached us.

"How did they do for your assessment?" he questioned.

The noise of the Uruks fighting was making it difficult to talk, as it added to the sound of the forging of the weapons.

"Halt." I yelled out, effectively stopping the fighting of the Uruks. "They will fall upon the blades of the most inexperienced fighter." I told Saruman.

"They seem to have accepted you as an authority figure." He commented, then seemed to contemplate what I had said. "How do you propose to fix that?"

"You," I spoke to the Uruk who was in charge. "Resume the exercises that you were leading your troops in before I arrived."

He nodded and began ordering his troops. I jumped off of my elevated platform and stood next to Saruman.

"Walk with me." I said, as I began to walk looking at the forges. "They have no skill, and are simply using brute strength to fight. It is an inefficient tactic."

"So train them." He told me.

"You have nearly ten thousand fighters, in the time before we will need to send them into battle, training will be impossible. I have a proposal that will solve many of your problems." I told him.

His eyebrow arched as I said this, an idea striking me that maybe I could make things a little easier on my friends.

"I was hesitant to alert you to this problem earlier, as you will not be happy with what I have to say." I began, attempting to sell this as much as possible. "Helm's Deep is taken by five thousand Uruks, but you sent ten thousand for the siege."

"I have not sent any troops to Helm's Deep." He stated, "But continue."

"I speak from the knowledge I have from my world. Half of the Uruks that you sent to Helm's Deep betray you."

"You mean to tell me that my own army will attack me?" he growled.

"Yes, I do." I told him with a blank expression. "Apparently, Uruk-hai are more human like than you originally thought. They decided that since they had the ability to take the stronghold of Helm's Deep without you there, they could take Orthanc just as easily. You would be locked in your tower as your Uruks control all around you. The only way that you get out of it is that Sauron sends troops to destroy your forces. Then you go on to take the Shire, though I'm not sure why you want the Shire. From what I can tell the place is a bunch of fat midgets and goats."

Internally, I hated saying the things that I did about the Shire, but right now it was a necessity. Saruman looked appalled at what I told him, and shocked that his Uruks would ever betray him.

"What is your solution to this problem?" he asked, his voice tight with anger.

"In my world, there was a great civilization. Ruled by warriors, trained from birth to live by the sword, these people ruled a large part of the ancient world. They were the Spartans." I told him.

"And these Spartans, they had the same strength as my Uruks?" Saruman verified.

"The Spartans were hardened warriors, strength was their forte. One of the most effective training methods developed by this sort of culture was the Gladiators." I was mixing the cultures a little on purpose, crossing the strong warriors together. "Gladiators would fight for their lives, generally the gladiators were debtors or criminals. It would be a one on one battle, developing the strongest, most brutal warriors imaginable."

"You propose that I do this with my troops?" he questioned, almost appalled that I would suggest having his warriors kill one another for the right to fight.

"You wanted the best way to create strong troops, did you not?" I questioned him, to which he nodded. "Then you breed them strong and make them fight for their very existence."

"And you guarantee that if I do as you suggest, I will win the battle and maintain my keep?" he verified.

"Yes."

"Very well. How long will it take?"

"We can start right now, if you like." I offered.

"Begin immediately. I want my troops strong."

I nodded my head and returned to the ledge where I towered over the Uruks once more. They all stopped what they were doing when I arrived. I observed the blood that was already caked on their black bodies from fighting.

"Your technique is lacking. Therefore, starting immediately, there will be an entirely new training program. Each of you will fight for your existence, your right to be the strongest warrior you can be. If you fail, you die. Are there any objections?" I questioned.

"Why should we consent to this?" Came the voice of an angry Uruk.

"Who said that?" I questioned, all the others pointed to the Uruk who spoke. "Come here."

He followed my order standing at the base of my ledge, he glared up at me. A sick smile crossed my face, within a second the sword that had hung on my left hip was in my right hand. The head of the Uruk rolled from the body, my draw had resulted in the slice across the neck of the Uruk. As the head hit the floor, every Uruk stopped every noise that they were making.

"You will consent to this order, because otherwise, your heads will suffer a permanent separation from your bodies." I shouted at them. "Now, if there are no more questions. We will begin."

I spent the rest of the evening before dinner setting up the gladiator battles with the Uruk-hai. Sure, I was giving them more training, but I was also cutting down their numbers drastically. By supper time, there were already ten dead Uruks. I cleaned my sword off before leaving the training field and ordered and Orc that passed by me on my way upstairs, to bring my dinner to my room, as well as to ensure that I had a bath drawn. I stopped by Saruman's study on my way back to my room. I knocked on the door, planning on reporting the "progress" to him.

"Enter." His voice rang out.

I swung the door open and stood just within the door, not planning on staying very long. He looked up and his voice showed some contentment at seeing it was me. My own face remained emotionless.

"Ten of your Uruks have proved they are rudimentarily battle ready. They would likely be able to take down at least one soldier before they fell. Not including archers." I told him.

"Good, and you will have many rounds of this training?" he questioned.

"Yes, your troops will be strong and battle ready soon. In other news, since Wormtongue has already reached us, the people of Rohan will be heading to Helm's Deep shortly. You will want to send your Warg Riders out to attack while they are traveling." I told him.

He nodded his head, thinking for a moment. Then he apparently decided upon his plan.

"Tomorrow morning, you will use the palantir to communicate with Sauron. After all, you are part of this partnership now." He smirked evilly.

"Gladly, it will be an honor to speak with Sauron." I stated, my own dark smile appearing.

"You are dismissed, I will see you in the morning."

With that I left Saruman behind and returned to my chambers. When I entered there was a tray of food set out on the vanity and glancing into the bathroom, I saw that there was a steaming bath waiting for me. I stripped off the black gown and corset, climbing into the tub. It wasn't sunken into the ground as the baths were in the elven kingdoms, but it was nice and relaxing. There was only plain, unscented soap but I scrubbed my skin of the blood that had been sprayed on my over the evening. I dressed in the black nightgown that had been placed on the chair in the bathroom. It had a black lacy dressing gown to go with it, I was beginning to wonder how Saruman was ever white, as everything was black. Maybe everything in his chambers was white, but I wasn't planning on pondering this anymore.

I ate the food left out for me, it was actually really good. I guess it wasn't the sort of food that was served to the troops, but more to Saruman personally. After my meal, I retired to the bed, wanting to gain some more rest if I was going to have to hide parts of my mind from Sauron in the morning.

***Saffy's POV***

It was early morning. Today, once again we were packing up everything that was essential for the trip to Helm's Deep. And tomorrow we would be heading out on the road, for our two day journey to the mountain keep. I was spending the day with Eowyn once more, as we had packed up most of what the court would need the previous night, it was sad that so many beautiful things would have to be left abandoned because of the war. But that was just the cost of survival it seemed. Today though, Eowyn and I were packing up her personal things. Occasionally someone would come and ask Eowyn about something to do before we left the capital. She was always patient with the people, though I could tell by lunch time that she was tired of being the go to person. We talked for most of the morning and were getting to know one another rather well.

"So where is this Deirdre that you have been talking so much about?" Eowyn asked me as we continued to pack up her things.

It hadn't taken long for us to complete packing up her things, and now we were folding linens and organizing food.

"In Isenguard." I stated, knowing that this would not sit well with Eowyn.

"Isenguard?" Eowyn questioned with an angry undertone.

"When we were abducted by Uruk-hai, she had an arrow embedded in her shoulder. They left it there for three days before she regained consciousness. She opted to go ahead to Isenguard so that maybe she could get the wound taken care of." I said, avoiding that both DiDi and I knew what was going to happen.

"But how did you escape then?"

"Your brother actually. He and his men came and attacked the Uruk-hai who had taken us hostage." I explained.

Eowyn smiled a little at hearing that her brother was still helping people, even though he had been sent away. We continued our work for a little longer in silence, until once more Eowyn broke the silence.

"Saffron, pardon me if I am being forward, but are you and Aragorn courting?" she asked me.

"Why would you ask that?" I responded.

"Well, when you arrived in Edoras I couldn't help notice that you were riding with him." She said with a blush, it was becoming obvious that she had a crush on Aragorn.

"No, we are not courting. He was just the only other option to ride with. I'm actually courting an elf of Lothlorien." I admitted. Not disclosing Nimiwen's gender, as I was sure that homosexuality, or in my case bisexuality, was not entirely socially acceptable.

"Yet you are traveling with other men?" she asked.

"Well, I met the elf that I am courting on the journey. And I wasn't going to stop my journey because I began courtship. Besides, then I would have left DiDi alone."

"You are very close, aren't you? You and Deirdre?" she questioned.

"She's been my best friend for years now. She's the reason that I'm here really." I explained.

"Would you like to come with me to the stables? There is still much to be done there."

"I would love to."

We both headed out to the stables. There was chaos with all the horses, as the guards were all trying to get a different horse to do a different thing. Eowyn led me into the stall of her horse and we began tending to her horse. There was a lot of neighing and various noises as we worked in the stables. Both Eowyn and I had begun prepping saddles for the journey.

To one side of the stall we stood near, was a horse that was attempting to break the ropes holding him to the guards attempting to restrain him. Aragorn began to approach the rearing horse.

"That horse if half mad, my lord. There's nothing you can do. Leave him." One of the guards in the stable called to Aragorn, but his warning was ignored.

"Fæste, stille nú, fæste, stille nú. Lac is drefed, gefrægon." **Fast, be quite now, fast, be quiet now. A battle is stirred up, they heard.** Aragorn spoke, attempting to use elvish to calm the horse down.

The horse began to relax as Aragorn spoke to him in elvish. Aragorn took one of the ropes from the other men and soothed the horse. By the time that he had finished speaking, the horse had calmed and Aragorn was stroking the neck of the horse.

"Hwæt nemnað ðe? Hm? Hwæt nemnað ðe?" **What is your name? Hm? What is your name?** Aragorn continued murmuring elvish to the horse.

"His name is Brego. He was my cousin's horse." Eowyn told him, she had looked over and watched his interaction with Brego.

"Brego. Din nama is cynglic." **Brego. Your name is kingly.** Aragorn continued speaking elvish and soothing the horse. "Man le trasta, Brego? Man cenich?" **What troubles you, Brego? What did you see?**

By now, Eowyn had abandoned her work and approached Aragorn and her late cousin's horse. Aragorn was more focused upon the horse than he was on Eowyn.

"I have heard of the magic of Elves. But I did not look for it in a Ranger from the North. You speak as though you were one of their own." Eowyn stated, surprised.

"I was raised in Rivendell… for a time. Turn this fellow free. He's seen enough of war." Aragorn stated and then left the stables, leaving the rope that held Brego's bridle in Eowyn's hand.

Eowyn took Brego outside, unfastening his bridle. When Eowyn returned inside the stables, she was alone, having let Brego free. Eowyn came back over and we finished our work in the stables rather quickly. The only place left to do work right now was in the main room of the Golden Hall. There were people removing chests, and Eowyn immediately began sorting through a chest. She occasionally gave me something to fold and I placed several things in various piles on the nearby table. Though Eowyn got distracted when she found a sword in one of the chests, she began going through the motions of a sword fight. Until she brought her sword down after a turn and her blade was blocked by a small knife.

Aragorn was holding the knife, keeping the blade from striking him in the face. I decided that maybe I should let this play out, so I just sat back and watched the interaction.

"You have some skill with a blade." He commented.

Eowyn spun around, disengaging her sword from his knife. She re-sheathed the sword and put it back in the chest.

"Women of this country learned long ago: Those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither pain nor death." Eowyn stated, she remained turned away from him.

"What do you fear, my lady?" he questioned curiously.

"A cage." She told him simply. "To stay behind bars until use and old and age accept them. And all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire."

"You're a daughter of king, a shield-maiden of Rohan. I do not think that would be your fate." He stated, he turned around and walked away.

"I wouldn't exactly call that working." I teased Eowyn. She blushed furiously.

Obviously she was embarrassed by what had transpired between her and Aragorn. I hoped that she didn't plan on a relationship forming between them, as Arwen was going to come back. I shook my head. She returned to her work, her fingers lingering over the sword once more.

"I understand, you know." I told her, to which she looked shocked. "Aragorn taught me how to fight."

"So you have fought in a battle?" she questioned curiously.

"Yes, a couple now." I told her, thinking back on the three battles that I had been in.

"So you have killed before?" she asked me, she was very curious about this whole thing.

"Some Orcs and some Uruk-hai." I told her.

She nodded her head, thinking about what I had said. We finished working for the rest of the day talking about all sorts of light things. I retired that night rather early, knowing that I was going to have to wake up early for the journey to Helm's Deep.

**Deirdre's POV**

My eyes fluttered open when I heard the pounding on my door. I didn't really want to get out of the bed, but I couldn't stay in my room all day. There was a lot that I had to do today.

"Mistress Deirdre." The voice of an Uruk came through my door. "Master Saruman wants you to see him as soon as possible."

"Very well." I called back in my dominating voice.

I slipped out of bed, stretching my back and yawning. There was once again a black dress laid out for me in the bathroom, but there was no bath. Instead a basin of water was set on the vanity. I washed my face in the water and brushed out my hair. When I was dressed and had eaten the food that was left for me once more, I headed to Saruman's study. Every Orc and Uruk that I passed on the way averted eye contact and paused when I passed them. I suppose it had gotten around that I was now giving orders and that they were to be followed.

I opened the door to Saruman's study without knocking again. He didn't seem perturbed to see me. He was sitting behind his desk, but when I walked in, he rose from his seat. He opened a door on the side of his study, leading into a great chamber with a pedestal in the center of the room. There was a round shape covered with a cloth. He walked to the pedestal and pulled the cover off.

"In order to look into the palantir and communicate with Sauron, you need only touch the palantir." He said, I moved forward toward the palantir. "I will leave you now."

I barely contained a frown of confusion when he said this, but it would have blown my act if I lost my cool now. He shut the door behind me, leaving me in the almost entirely empty room.

I moved forward and my hand hovered hesitantly over the palantir, as much as I didn't want to touch it, I knew that I had to. I took a deep breath and cleared my mind of every thought possible, taking particular care not to think of the lies that I had been telling Sauron and the truth that I wasn't planning on telling.

My hand descended upon the palantir, making contact with the cold stone. My eyes shot open, but I wasn't seeing the room that was around me anymore. I was standing on the top of the dark tower, but there was no eye here. Instead there was only a man in dark armor. It was the same armor that I had seen in the movie where it looked back on Isildur taking the ring.

"Hello, Deirdre." The armored man said.

"You must be Sauron." I stated, with a slight nod of my head.

"That I am. And you are the little elf that is helping our side now. I must say that I was unsure of your loyalty to begin with. But you seem to have earned the trust of Saruman." He stated.

"I am glad to hear it." I said, not really sound to happy. "Was there a specific reason that you wanted to speak with me?"

"Saruman's use will soon run out, do you not agree?" The figure circled around me.

I stood in the center of the tower, watching as the armored man stalked around me. My head remained high, which I was rather proud of, as I was circled like prey.

"He is useful until the fall of Rohan." I stated, not exactly sure if I should be going along with what Sauron was saying or not.

"But after that, he will just be another that wants power." Sauron continued circling me. I was beginning to think that he was studying me for weaknesses. "You however, will still have purpose."

Sauron stood behind me, his words ghosting past my ear. I had to work to suppress the revulsion flowing through me. He didn't notice at all.

"After Saruman sends his army to lay siege to Rohan, his life will end. And you will come to me in Mordor. Your knowledge of the future will be most valuable." Sauron whispered lowly in my ear.

"Are you sure that this is your wish, my liege?" I questioned, not wanting to sign on to this too early. "Saruman will still have some power."

"His power will be spent. Once Rohan has fallen, I will have no need of him." He ground out, irritated that I would question his orders.

"Very well, lord Sauron. Forgive me for ensuring that this was your wish." I stated, I took on a slightly apologetic tone, but there was still that undertone of strength.

His gauntlets traced my bared shoulder. Leave it to Saruman to provide me with an off the shoulder dress. I refrained from wincing as the sharp tip of his gauntlets scraped across my skin. He stayed behind me, making me a little nervous. I did not look behind me to face him though.

"When this is through, and I have control of Middle Earth. If you have proven your loyalty, you will be my queen. And rule Middle Earth by my side, with an iron fist." He declared, his voice authoritative.

"As you wish, my liege." I responded, covering the fear that was bubbling within me.

"Good," I could hear the dark smile in his voice, "You are dismissed, return to Saruman and tell him to come and speak to me."

I nodded my head, then suddenly I was released from the palantir. I hadn't realized how tight a hold on my mind it had had, but to have created an entirely different scene for me to be in must have shown how strong the connection was. I took a deep breath, feeling as though there was an iron band around my chest. I took a few more deep breaths, then steadied myself and walked over to the door. I swung it open and walked back into Saruman's study. He was sitting in the chair behind his desk. When I walked in he glanced over at me.

"Sauron requested you to speak with him." I stated flatly.

"Very well, you will go and work with the army once more. Report back here when you are finished for the day." He dismissed, to which I nodded and left.

I walked back down to the underground labyrinth, which housed the thousands of Uruk-hai. I found a new unit to work with today, and quickly set to work shrinking Saruman's army.

***End Chapter 19***

Alright there it is. Read and Review. :D


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 20***

**Saffy's POV**

Morning had come too soon. I still wanted to be sleeping. But today would be the first of the journey to Helm's Deep. I hauled myself from the bed and quickly dressed. As soon as I had fastened my cloak about my neck, I headed out the door. It was a quick walk before I caught up with Eowyn. She was standing with her horse near the stables, and she smiled when she saw me.

"Are you ready for the two-day journey?" I asked sarcastically.

She laughed and shook her head with a smile. "I'm sure that I am more ready than you."

"Why do you say that?" I replied.

"Because, I have my horse ready, while you will be walking the whole distance." She laughed.

I groaned at the idea of having to walk for two days straight. Then again it was about the same as when I was with the fellowship. Eowyn's smile remained intact, and she shook her head at me.

"Come on, we will both be walking for most of the journey. The horses will have enough to bear without adding us to the list. Besides, the exercise will be good for you." She teased.

"We are going to walk for two days straight! Do I get time off after this to make up for it?" I joked with her.

The call to move out was made by one of the guards and with that the whole populous of Edoras began the two day journey. A short ways into the journey, Eowyn offered her horse for Gimli to ride. He sat astride the horse and joined in our conversations. Aragorn was walking his horse behind us.

We had walked for hours, and it was now about mid-afternoon. The sun was beating down upon us mercilessly. Instead of Eowyn and I really talking, we listened to Gimli lecture. He talked about anything that he could think of, explaining Dwarf culture to Eowyn and I.

"It's true you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for dwarf men." Gimli began yet another lecture on all the fine points of Dwarves.

I glanced back at Aragorn who was making the motion of a beard with his hand and mouthing the words: "It's the beards". Eowyn and I both laughed, but turned our attention back to Gimli. Eowyn was in between me and Gimli, so I began making mocking motions of how Gimli was talking with his hands as he rode.

"This, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf women, and that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground."

We laugh at this, but Gimli decides to continue with his lecture and sharing his opinion on the matter.

"Which is, of course, ridiculous."

Gimli threw his hands into the air, talking with his hands once more. Eowyn laughs at my mimicking his movement, until Gimli's horse runs ahead with Gimli on it, leaving Eowyn and I behind. But Gimli can't really ride a horse, and he falls off the back and lands on the ground with a loud thud, his horse continuing to run ahead. Eowyn laughs at the display then runs to help the dwarf up. I laugh as he stands up acting as though nothing happened.

"It's all right. Nobody panic. It was deliberate. It was deliberate." He announced, earning another laugh from me and it looked like Eowyn as well.

I quickly moved forward, catching up to my friends. We took the horse back from one of the guards, who had chased after it. Gimli waved off climbing back up onto the horse.

"Are you sure, Gimli? If Eowyn holds the reins for you, it should be fine." I asked again.

"No, I deliberately got off the horse, as I was tired of riding and wanted to walk for a while." He bluffed.

Both Eowyn and I laughed, but we walked with Gimli, who was unexpectedly out of dwarf lectures. So Eowyn and I joked back and forth for the rest of the day, until we stopped to make a camp for the night. I think camp was a little off for the word for the large settlement for the night, it was more like a mobile city.

We left Gimli to set up the tents along with the other men, I would be sharing a tent with Eowyn tonight, under her insistence. She told me that there would be no way I could sleep in the same tent as my friends, and she would like the company in her tent. She then dragged me over and had me help prepare the stew for the night. As they didn't trust my ability to cook, I was left to chop vegetables. I watched as Eowyn cooked the meat. It was going to turn out awful, as she hadn't prepared it right. There were large, almost raw chunks of meat throughout the stew, all of them a disgusting gray color.

"Do you want to come with me and distribute the stew to the men?" she asked. I thought for a moment, contemplating if I could be charged as an accessory to murder for helping her dole out the disgusting, probably food poisoned stew. But decided that since there was no democratic system here, and Eowyn was the king's niece it would be safe enough. Plus, the expression on Aragorn's face would be priceless when he ate this stuff.

"All right, sure." I told her, carrying a bunch of bowls and spoons in my hands as she carried the stew.

We began walking around the encampment, offering stew to the men. Most of which politely turned down when they looked at the floating gray masses. We passed Gimli, and Eowyn politely offered the stew to Gimli. He took a glance at the stew, then looked up at me and Eowyn. I was standing behind her and shook my head that he shouldn't eat the stew.

"No, I couldn't I really couldn't." Gimli stammered, trying to get out of eating it.

Eowyn nodded her head understandingly, though she was more understanding that he didn't want stew rather than the stew was disgusting to look at. She merely walked over to Aragorn, he was focused intently upon cleaning and sharpening his sword.

"I made some stew. It's not much. But it's hot." Eowyn offered the stew for him, and she filled a bowl for him. I offered the spoon.

"Thank you," he said, eating a mouthful. At the taste his face neared a grimace, but he managed to cover it up before Eowyn saw. "It's good."

His voice was so hoarse from the disgust, I barely managed to conceal my laughter. Eowyn's face lit up. This was the first time that anyone had complimented her stew.

"Really?" she asked. She was very excited by this.

She turned to walk away. I watched as Aragorn began pouring out the stew onto the ground. But she turned back and he quickly took the stew back into his hands right in front of him. He had spilled some of the hot liquid on his leg, and he winced a little at the burning. He looked at her expectantly, his mouth tight with holding in the pain.

"My uncle told me a strange thing. He said that you rode to war with Thengal, my Grandfather. But he must be mistaken." Eowyn said, she was obviously curious about why her uncle would say something like that.

"King Theoden has a good memory. He was only a small child at the time." Aragorn stated.

This time it was Eowyn's face that was priceless, her eyes were wide with shock. She obviously could not believe that he was so old.

"Then you must be at least 60." Eowyn stated shocked, Aragorn was based at her assumption. "Seventy? But surely you cannot be 80!"

Aragorn winced a little at how shocked she was that he was that old. He smiled a little and looked at her.

"Eighty-Seven." He stated simply, looking back at the ground.

"You are one of the Dunedain. A descendant of Numenor, blessed with long life. It was said that your race passed into legend." She realized.

"There are few of us left." Aragorn stated. "The Northern kingdom was destroyed long ago."

Eowyn must have realized how rude her behavior was, she looked apologetic immediately.

"I'm sorry. Please, eat." She stated. He reluctantly started eating the stew once more.

I decided that maybe I should take pity on Aragorn, as he was being fed what could constitute as poison. Eowyn was currently standing, watching Aragorn eat the stew.

"Eowyn, would you mind if I stayed here with Aragorn? It seems that I haven't seen much of him since we got to Edoras." I explained, and she looked a little disappointed.

"Yes, that is perfectly fine. I was just going to continue offering stew." She stated. Then she returned to her task, having taken the spoons and bowls from me.

When Eowyn as safely out of hearing distance, I couldn't keep the laugh in anymore. Aragorn scowled at me as I laughed.

"I'm sorry. But your face was hilarious. I can't believe that you actually ate that stuff." I laughed. Aragorn poured the rest of the bowl out on the ground.

"You could have warned me it was that bad." He said quietly, wanting to be careful that Eowyn didn't hear him.

I looked over at her. She was standing with a group of soldiers, probably attempting to coerce them into eating the stew. When one of the men accepted a bowl from her, I was almost sad that I was going to miss the facial expressions of all the people who were going to be eating her cooking.

"I thought that Gimli refusing it would have been warning enough. I didn't even know that he tasted his food he eats it so fast. But apparently, even he has higher standards than that." I joked. I know it was a little mean to be making fun of how bad the stew was. But it wasn't going to hurt anyone.

"I probably should have realized that sooner." He admitted.

"So you are seriously eighty-seven?" I questioned.

"Yes." He mumbled, a little embarrassed that this was the topic of discussion once more. He must have thought that people would find it strange that he was so old but looked so young.

"Wow, well. You don't look a day over fourty-five." I reassured him, he smiled at me.

"Not all of us could be considered children, Saffron." He teased me.

"Hey, I have to start younger than you. Since we're both courting elves. Plus you have the elongated life-span on your side." I teased him, he laughed and pulled out his pipe.

We sat around the fire, he smoked and I cleaned my swords. Overall it was a pleasant evening, when it began to grow late Eowyn arrived to tell me where our tent was. I said my farewell to Aragorn and headed to the tent with Eowyn. We both decided to retire for the evening, spending the rest of the evening inside the tent talking.

"So, did Aragorn talk about me when I left?" Eowyn asked girlishly. No matter the world or time period, girls would be girls.

"I think you were mentioned a little." I said, not wanting to really give her much hope. "I don't really remember."

"Oh," she stated, her face contemplative. "Do you think that once this war is over, Aragorn would be interested in courting me?"

I tried to find the best way to phrase it, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but she also shouldn't get her hopes up.

"I really wouldn't know, Eowyn. Aragorn isn't all that big on sharing about his personal life." I explained.

She frowned for a moment, but her face smoothed out. She must have been thinking about how that wasn't exactly a no. She sighed and looked at me once again.

"Do you know him very well?" she questioned, it was definitely going to be a night of gossiping about Aragorn.

"We have been traveling together for a while." I stated.

The rest of the night continued on in that fashion, she gushed about how rugged Aragorn was and how noble. I listened patiently. DiDi would occasionally do this, talk about a guy for a good part of the night, and I suppose I had done the same thing a few times as well. We finally fell asleep, it seemed that the amount of gossiping Eowyn could do about Aragorn, had finally run out.

**Deirdre's POV**

After watching the Uruk-hai massacre one another all of yesterday, I was more than grateful to be going to meet with Saruman and Wormtongue this morning. It at least would have less gore involved, that is unless for some reason they decided to have a brawl, but I wasn't going to keep my hopes up. I strode into Saruman's study once more. This room was getting all too familiar. Saruman was in the midst of a conversation with Wormtongue when I entered.

"Theoden will not stay at Edoras. It's vulnerable. He knows this. He will expect an attack on the city. They will flee to Helm's Deep, the great fortress of Rohan. It is a dangerous road to take through the mountains. They will be slow. They will have women and children with them."

"You are going to send your Warg Riders." I told him, at this both of them turned around. "While you won't succeed in slaying any women or children, there will be a significant loss of soldiers. Along with the heir of Elendil."

"So you would advise attacking while they are on the road?" he verified.

"Not only would I advise it, but I know that you will do it and it will be successful." I told him, keeping my confident tone.

"Very well." Saruman said, turning to walk out the door. "Deirdre, you will come with me."

I followed him out of the study, leaving behind Wormtongue. It seemed that his use was becoming less and less over the time that I was here. Hopefully, it would breed the same contempt that was necessary.

"Sauron informed me that you were betrothed." He stated as we walked down the hall.

"Yes, he said I would be his bride should I prove my loyalty through the end of the war." I stated simply.

"Then your worth has increased even more. It was folly for Gandalf to think that you would remain on the side that loses." He smirked evilly.

"When has Gandalf ever shown much competence?" I said, feeling slightly guilty for bashing the wizard. "After all, he didn't notice that the One Ring was under his nose in the Shire for many years."

Saruman chuckled darkly at my statement, it seemed that I had completely earned his trust. As much as I was hating this, it was a good thing. It ensured my survival at Isenguard. We reached the underground labyrinth, quickly finding the leader of the Warg Riders.

"Send out your Warg Riders." Saruman ordered, then he turned to me. "Deirdre, go back to training the warriors."

I nodded my head, returning back to the familiar training ground. It was another blood-filled day. Over the past two days, I had thinned down the army by close to a thousand. If I kept going at this rate, the odds would be evened more in the favor of Rohan. I smirked as I watched the Uruks cut one another down.

**Saffy's POV**

We were travelling once more. Today I walked between Aragorn and Eowyn, since both had horses and I didn't. Aragorn was miles away, when Eowyn interrupted his thoughts.

"Where is she?" Eowyn questioned, earning her a confused look from Aragorn. "The woman who gave you that jewel."

Aragorn looks thoughtful once more, drifting back into his thoughts of Arwen. He remains silent for a while, Eowyn looked at me worried, but I just shrugged my shoulders.

"My lord?" she questions.

"She is sailing to the Undying Lands with all that is left of her kin." Aragorn responded sadly, this time it was Eowyn who fell silent.

"What about you, Saffron? Your elf love, where is he?" she questioned.

"She should still be in Lothlorien." I responded. It took Eowyn a moment to notice that I had said 'she'. Her eyes widened for a moment but she was silent.

There was an awkward silence as we walked together, at least between Eowyn and myself. Aragorn was back in his thoughts of Arwen and perfectly content, unaware of the tension between Eowyn and I. The silence continues for a while, only interrupted by the sound of a terror-filled scream.

Aragorn springs into action, leaving his horse in my care and racing over to the hill that Legolas had been seen on previously. Within moments of his reaching his destination, he was racing back to the king.

"What is it? What do you see?" Theoden called to him.

"Warg! We're under attack!" was the call that came from Aragorn.

He reached us and took the reins from me, climbing onto the horse rapidly. I backed away from the horse as he continued yelling. My swords were at my sides and I was ready to fight. Aragorn nodded his head to me, but had taken off before I could climb up on the horse with him.

"Get them out of here!" Aragorn shouted, motioning at the women and children.

"Eowyn?" I questioned, I knew that I needed a horse. She nodded her head.

"All riders to the head of the column." Theoden's shout rings clear.

Eowyn lifts up the saddle blanket on the horse to reveal a sword beneath, she began to remove the sword to reattach it at her side. But she was interrupted by the king riding up next to us.

"You must lead the people to Helm's Deep, and make haste." Theoden ordered her.

"I can fight." She tried to argue.

"No. You must do this. For me." He told her. She looked like she was about to argue with him, but closed her mouth and nodded.

"Eowyn, can I borrow your horse?" I questioned, Theoden looked at me skeptically, shocked that I was planning on fighting.

"Saffron," she began to argue, but was cut off by the king.

"Go with Eowyn." Theoden ordered.

"My lord, I can fight. Aragorn trained me himself and I have already proved myself in battle." I attempted to persuade him.

"The women and children will need you if any of the Wargs chase after them." Theoden told me.

I wanted to argue more, but understood where he was going with this. It was going to be one of the only ways to assure Eowyn would not return to fight, if I went with her. Also this would give her less of a reason to argue with him.

"Very well." I said tightly. Knowing that my friends would be fine, but still I wanted to be there for them.

We turned away from the sounds of the riders racing into battle with the attacking Wargs, it took Eowyn no time at all to take control of the women and children.

"Make for the lower ground." She ordered, the people followed her instructions. "Stay together."

With a final glance back at my friends, who were riding into battle, I too followed Eowyn's instructions. My stomach was twisting into knots as I left. Aragorn falling off the cliff would definitely upset Eowyn.

**Legolas' POV**

The Wargs were coming over the hills toward us. I shot arrow after arrow. Every arrow shot felled another Warg. The riders crumpling under the weight of their mounts, and the beasts toppled over, falling upon them. I glanced back behind me. The riders were fast approaching with Gimli on our horse in the front. I grabbed the strapping on the front of Arod and flung myself onto the horse, landing in front of Gimli. Locking my legs tight around the horse, I drew my bow and arrow back out. My arrows flew and struck the Wargs, until finally our forces clashed in a forceful clatter. The sounds of death were all around, screams as blades cut into flesh. Gimli slid off the horse behind me, his voice ringing through the sounds of the battle.

"Bring your pretty face to my axe." He growled at a Warg.

I smirked and turned my bow, striking the Warg that he was waiting for with an arrow. It crumpled to the ground right before him. He sputtered for a moment.

"That one counts as mine." He called out to me.

Even though we are in the middle of the battle, I still chuckled at him. We had come up with a competition to prove if Dwarves or Elves were better, whoever could fell more creatures would win.

I continued to shoot arrows into the Warg's and their riders, silently keeping count of every fallen creature. When the fighting finally was drawing near to an end, I dismounted Arod and began walking around trying to find Aragorn and Gimli. Gimli was easy to find, as he made a lot of noise and had just felled another Warg.

"Aragorn!" I called out, trying to find him.

"Aragorn?" Gimli questioned.

I walked over to the edge of the cliff, looking everywhere for him. But he was nowhere in sight. Suddenly the sounds of evil laughter came to my ears. Glancing over, I saw an orc who was laughing at my search. I quickly moved over to the orc, fixing my glare upon him. He only laughed more.

"So you're the elf that the Mistress was playing with?" he chuckled out, blood mingling with the words.

"The Mistress?" I questioned angrily.

"Mistress Deirdre." He chuckled lowly. "She wanted us to tell you that she was much happier now that she is betrothed to Sauron."

Red filled my vision, as much as I didn't believe the words he was saying, I was furious none-the-less. Gimli however, came over before I could interrogate the dying orc anymore.

"Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing." Gimli told him, bringing his axe close to the orc's neck.

"He's…" the orc was choking on its own blood now. "dead. He took a little tumble off the cliff."

I reached down and grabbed the orc's armor, pulling him closer to me. This orc is telling one lie after another it seems, first that Deirdre is betrothed to Sauron and now that Aragorn was dead.

"You lie." I accused the dying orc.

The only response was a last smirk and grunt of a laugh, before life left the orc. I shoved the body away from me, distancing myself as much as possible. But a glimmering sparkle in the orc's hand catches my attention, and reluctantly I peer at it. Inside the hand of the dead orc, is the Evenstar pendant that Aragorn wore. As I pull the pendant from the dead hand, my world shatters around me. The dead thing wasn't lying, Aragorn was surely dead if he lost the pendant that Arwen had given him, the sign of her undying love for him. I backed away from the corpse and from Gimli, shock creating turmoil in my mind.

I raced over to the edge of the cliff once more, looking down at the racing waters for any sign that Aragorn was there or alive. But there was nothing but the river, there was no body strewn on the rocks or caught on the side. My friend was gone.

In the corner of my mind, I recognize that it is Theoden who is standing next to me looking down at the water. But right now, I am totally focused on two things. That Aragorn is dead, fallen in this small fray. This was nothing compared to the attack that had been waged on us by the Uruk-hai before, that claimed our friends. But still he had fallen. The second was that there was a possibility that the Orc had told me the truth. That Deirdre had only been playing with me. That she was going to marry Sauron and rule Middle Earth. That she had never really cared about me in the first place, and every kiss had only been a deception.

"Get the wounded on horses. The wolves of Isenguard will return." Theoden's voice pierced my inner turmoil. "Leave the dead."

I turned sharply to stare at him, appalled that he would leave his fallen soldiers to be the meal of wild animals. That he wouldn't give the men that had died fighting for him and his people the respect that they deserved. He had the decency to look sympathetically at me, showing that he didn't really want to do this. His hand touched my shoulder, resting there in a reassuring manner.

"Come." He said gently.

The king walked away to help collect all the wounded and get them up on horseback so that we could make our way to Helm's Deep once more. My mind began racing once more as I looked down into my hand. The Evenstar pendant shone beautifully, never again to be worn by the warrior who had stolen the heart of its' elvish owner. My fingers carefully closed around the jewel, making sure not to break it. If I ever saw Arwen again, I would return the pendant to her. I slipped the pendant into my pocket, and turned to go back to Helm's Deep and give the news to Saffron that we had lost another friend.

***End Chapter 20***

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	21. Chapter 21

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 21***

**Deirdre's POV**

"You what?" I questioned, my voice coming out calmly. However, I was anything but internally.

"I had my Warg riders deliver the message that you were betrothed to Sauron to your friends." He told me flatly. "That is not a problem, I trust?"

His game was obvious. Yet another test that I was truly faithful to him and Sauron. I was definitely not going to fall into his trap. Lying and deceit had become natural to me since I had been in Isenguard. Then again, I had always been a good liar.

"I would have preferred you hadn't." I replied flatly. "Now if the time ever does arrive that I have need for them to trust me once more, so I could achieve another goal. It will not be possible."

He frowned at this. Clearly he had not thought that there could ever be a benefit to me working with my friends once more. _No wonder Sauron wants him disposed of_, I thought to myself. It was appalling that Saruman was causing so much trouble and yet was so rash that he didn't think his actions through entirely.

"Do you think a time like that will ever come?" he questioned, there was the slightest hint of worry in his voice.

"It shouldn't. However, the possibility is still there. But it should be relatively easy to work around." I replied rather nonchalantly.

I was quite impressed with myself that I could come off so cooly all the time now. I hadn't smiled normally since I had arrived and there was no joy in my tone ever. Only the harsh cold tone came from my throat anymore. No happy songs or laughter. I was cold and cruel.

"Problem solved." He stated then.

"Is that all that you wanted to talk about?" I questioned dryly.

"Actually, I wanted to show you something. This will help our troops triumph at Helm's Deep." He told me, walking over to a table which held a large bomb.

"You want to show me explosives?" I asked, sounding bored.

"You understand what this is then?" he returned.

"It creates a chemical combustion triggered through fire. In my world we called them explosives, though yours are rather crude." I told him disdainfully, going into my chemistry knowledge in my response. "Still the technology is rather well developed considering the general technology."

He frowned as though I had insulted his big, bad weapon, and I suppose to some extent I had. But I was speaking honestly when I told him that. After all, compared to the Atomic bomb, this was definitely crude.

Just then we were interrupted by Wormtongue, who came stumbling in. His demeanor was quivering and scared, and he hunched over from fear of being struck. And as a result, even I was taller than him. He made sure to avert his eyes from me, thinking that I would strike him, as rumors of my assaulting the Uruks must have reached his ears.

"Stop cowering like a beaten dog." I ordered him. He looked up at me, shocked that I had ordered him.

"Wormtongue, you know Rohan well. Tell me, how defensible is Helm's Deep." Saruman ordered.

"Helm's Deep has one weakness." He said meekly, piquing Saruman's attention. "It's outer wall is solid rock… but for a small culvert at its base, which is little more than a drain."

"Excellent." Saruman replied with a wicked smile. I could see where this was going.

"You plan to use your explosives to breach the wall." I half-questioned, knowing this was his intent.

"Yes." He responded simply.

"Explosives?" Wormtongue questioned.

I rolled my eyes, and although I knew that Wormtongue would have no clue what explosives were, this was just annoying.

"Stone that reacts with fire to create a highly destructive force." I explained, simplifying what an explosive was as best I could.

Saruman began pouring some more of the dark stones into the large spiked ball. Wormtongue moved closer to the stones, holding a candle in one hand. He peered over at the stones, curious as to how they could cause an explosion which would destroy the wall.

"How? How can fire undo stone?" he questioned, peering ever closer.

Saruman had just realized how dangerously close Wormtongue had come to the explosives with the candle. He quickly grabbed Wormtongue's hand shoving the candle away, then proceeded to shove Wormtongue back.

"What kind of device could bring down the wall?" Wormtongue asked once more.

Saruman ignored his question and began moving from this room, onto the balcony overlooking Isenguard. I moved behind him, leaving Wormtongue trailing behind.

"If the wall is breached… Helm's Deep will fall." Saruman remarked with a smirk as he continued walking.

"Even if it is breached, it would take a number beyond reckoning… thousands, to storm the Keep." Wormtongue attempted to get Saruman to understand his point.

"Actually it will only take about five thousand well-trained Uruk-hai." I corrected him. He gave me a shocked look, as though not expecting me to have any knowledge of war.

"She is correct, five thousand strong." Saruman informed Wormtongue, as he finally reached the balcony.

I stood looking out over the force below, thankfully it was only five thousand. I was desperately hoping that having them kill one another wouldn't actually give them any battle experience. But it was too late to change anything now.

"But my lord, there is no such force." Wormtongue argued, his words dissipating under the roars of the five thousand troops.

Saruman walked over to the railing of the balcony, he motioned with his hand for me to approach. I moved and stood to the right of Saruman, my attention focused on the troops instead of the cowering Wormtongue behind me. A horn was sounded below and all the Uruk-hai turned to face the balcony of the tower. Saruman raised his hand to silence the cheers that erupted from the army below.

"A new power is rising. Its victory is at hand." Saruman declares, his voice carrying over all of Isenguard. "This night… the land will be stained with the blood of Rohan. March to Helm's Deep. Leave none alive."

Another cheer erupts from the Uruk-hai below, a dark twisted smile is upon Saruman's face. With a glance over at me, he finds an even darker smile. While he thinks that I trained his force to defeat Rohan in the most effective manner, his troops will be slaughtered and before the battle is through, Isenguard will be taken by the Ents. My lies and deceit were finally coming to an end, I only had to maintain the dark cruelty a little longer.

"To war!" Saruman calls out to his troops, then more quietly. "There will be no dawn for men."

"It's too bad that Sauron insisted that you remain at Isenguard, I'm sure that you would have loved to watch the people of Rohan be slaughtered." He remarked, looking at the sick smile upon my face.

"It is probably best this way, to ensure that I will not be injured in the oncoming slaughter. Just because we shall prevail does not mean that our forces are immune to loss." I told him, my voice retaining that cold, dead tone.

The troops began to move out, their cheers continuing as they began their march to war. I glanced back and saw Wormtongue, there was actually a tear in his eye. He was feeling guilty for what he was doing already, that was definitely a good sign if he was going to stab Saruman in the back, literally.

"If that is all, Saruman, I shall retire to my chambers. It is time that I attended to my shoulder again." I informed him cooly.

"Of course, go ahead." He told me.

I took off back into the hallways of Orthanc, finding an Orc wandering the corridors. I called the Orc over; it didn't want to meet my eyes but stood before me none-the-less.

"Fetch me a needle, thread, and small knife, and bring them to my chambers." I ordered.

"Very well, Mistress." The Orc replied and went to fetch the items I asked for.

I sat down at the vanity in my chambers once more, peeling the sleeve of my dress back to reveal the crude stitches that I had created before. The skin around the area was red and tender, but I poked and prodded it anyway. A knock came to my door and I quickly opened it, taking the sewing kit and knife from the Orc.

"You are dismissed." I told it. The Orc left quickly and I shut the door behind it.

I went back over to the vanity, taking the basin and filling it with cool water. I sat back down at the vanity and slowly removed the stitches. My time was spent cleansing the wound and re-stitching it shut. It would only be a matter of time before the Ents attacked Orthanc.

**Saffy's POV**

I had been one of the few people riding a horse, making sure to keep watch behind me. Thankfully, there was no sign of us being chased by any of the Wargs. But after a while, I dismounted from Eowyn's horse and walked alongside her. There was little chatter amongst the people as fear was prevalent. Finally, we came within sight of Helm's Deep. This destroyed the silence as the people gratefully looked upon the mountain fortress.

"At last! Helm's Deep, there it is. Helm's Deep. We're safe." Voices rang out their gratitude for the safety of the keep.

I looked at the seemingly impenetrable fortress. The walls looked to be at least a foot thick and even from this distance it looked sturdy. There was only one way into the keep and that was the causeway, overall I could understand why the people were so relieved to be here. Plus the fact that no army had ever breached the walls and made it into the Hornburg wasn't bad for morale either.

"We're safe, my lady. Thank you." A nearby woman told Eowyn.

The people began rushing even more to the safety, leaving Eowyn walking at her slow pace. She looked backwards occasionally, but she wasn't keeping the same watch that I had. She was looking for her uncle and Aragorn while I had been looking for the possibility of an attack.

"Come on, Eowyn. It will be better to wait for them inside the fortress. Besides, we still have preparations to make." I told her, urging her forward faster.

With a last glance backwards, she nodded and picked up her walking pace. I still cast the occasional glance backwards, making sure that we weren't going to be attacked by Wargs, seeing as it never hurt to be too cautious. Most of the people were into the keep before us when we finally arrived at the gates of Helm's Deep, but there were still some people coming in behind us.

The streets of Helm's Deep were lined with people, refugees from other parts of Rohan. The sounds of reunions were heard all around, as people found relations that they had thought were lost to war.

"Mama!" Came the excited voice of Freda.

"Eothain, Freda." Their mother responded, holding her arms open for her children to rush into.

I smile when I looked at the reunions, but Eowyn was more concerned with supplies. There was a group of men standing around baskets of food, and by the look on Eowyn's face, it wasn't enough.

"Where is the rest?" she questioned, worry seeped into her voice.

"This was all we could save, my lady." One of the men responded, he looked down ashamed.

"Take it to the caves." She ordered.

The man nodded and the others began to gather up the baskets and begin to follow her directions. A call was heard from the entrance to the fortress, the familiar voice of Gamling the guard.

"Make way for the king. Make way for Theoden. Make way for the king." he cried, people parted in his path as more horses came after him.

I look towards where his voice is coming from, seeing Theoden riding along with my friends and the other soldiers of Rohan. It doesn't escape my notice that Aragorn is not with them. Even knowing that he will survive, I can't help but feel the despair that maybe he didn't survive the fall from the cliff. Maybe fate had failed, yet I still hoped that he would come riding into Helm's Deep on Brego with news of the approaching army. Eowyn ran forward to her uncle, her eyes however were still looking for something else.

"So few. So few of you have returned." She commented despairingly.

Theoden looked at her sadly, then turned and helped one of the injured soldiers off their horse. There were several wounded men climbing off of the horses as well as a few unharmed men.

"Our people are safe. We have paid for it with many lives." Theoden explained, his voice upset that the lives of his soldiers were dead. But he was still thankful that his people were safe.

Gimli approached Eowyn and I, there were tears in his eyes. He looked down at his axe when he approached us, not wanting to give us the bad news.

"My ladies." He began, pausing in grief.

"Lord Aragorn?" Eowyn questioned, her voice trembling. "Where is he?"

"He fell." Gimli chokes out.

Shock fills Eowyn's face, she can't believe what she was just told. Distraught, she glanced over at her uncle. He looked back at her sadly, then turned and walked away. Her breath stopped for a moment, tears cascaded down her face. My arms wrapped around her, tugging her in tight to me. Her shoulders shook and shuddered, as she sobbed against me. She only remained in this distraught state for a moment, realizing that she had to be strong for her people.

"Draw all our forces behind the wall. Bar the gate. And set a watch on the surround." Theoden instructed Gamling, setting up his plan.

"What of those who cannot fight, my lord? The women and children?" Gamling asked.

"Get them into the caves. Saruman's arm will have grown long indeed if he thinks that he can reach us here." Theoden continues.

Eowyn and Gimli both departed to take care of preparations for the battle. I spotted a distraught Legolas, holding the reins of both Arod and Hasufel. He began walking toward where the stables were, his eyes downcast. I rushed over to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He paused in his actions, tensing until he realized that it was me.

"He's coming back." I reassured him. "He has to."

"Saffron, you didn't see the cliff. He's not coming back." He replied in despair.

"Legolas, please trust me. He's coming back." I told him once more.

He smiled slightly and nodded at me, there was clearly something else on his mind. Not only did he think that Aragorn had fallen to his death, but there was something more troubling him.

"What else is bothering you, Legolas?" I asked him, he needed to have his mind clear for the upcoming battle.

"Something one of the Orcs said. The same one that told us Aragorn had fallen." He told me. "I didn't believe him at first, but what he said about Aragorn was true."

"What did the Orc say?" I questioned, I couldn't remember anything that the Orc said that would trouble Legolas.

"That Deirdre is betrothed to Sauron and that she was only toying with me." He muttered, not really wanting to say it out loud. If he never said those words then they wouldn't be true.

"Legolas, she would never do that. She truly does care about you. Before she left, she made me promise to take care of you and tell you that she loves you." I told him.

"I find it hard to believe. If she did love me then she is obviously a good liar. She could have been pretending the entire time." He reasoned.

"I can't really talk about DiDi's ability to lie, as it isn't something I know a lot about. But I do know that she loves you." I told him.

He nodded his head, but he didn't look entirely convinced. But instead of arguing again, he began removing the saddles and bridles from the horses. I left him there, deciding to find Eowyn and help her instead.

It only took a short while to find her, as the first person that I asked about her whereabouts directed me to where she was. She aided in loading up the baskets and other things for the women and children to take into the caves. Her mood wasn't the best, as I was sure she had been talking with her uncle about fighting in the battle that was rapidly approaching. As well as the still visible streaks on her cheeks from the tears she had cried before. I helped her to carry some of the baskets to the caves. After a few hours of taking things back and forth to the caves, which was rather tiring work, we heard the excited calls coming from near the gate.

"He's alive." One woman called out happily.

"Come on." I grabbed her hand and began running for the gate, trying to find Aragorn who I was sure had returned.

He was just dismounting from Brego, but there was too much of a crowd in the way for us to get through. Eowyn finally had to hold me back from forcing my way through the crowd, saying that we would be able to see him shortly.

"Where is he?" Gimli shouted, his voice carrying through the crowd. "Where is he? Get out of the way! I'm going to kill him! You are the luckiest, the canniest, and the most reckless man I ever knew. Bless you, laddie."

When Gimli finally made it to Aragorn he hugged the ranger, glad that his companion was not dead as he had feared. Aragorn smiled and hugged the dwarf back, slightly shocked at the warmth of the greeting he had received.

"Gimli, where is the king?" Aragorn asked.

Gimli nodded in the direction of the hall. Aragorn somehow waded through the crowd that had gathered around him, walking up the steps to the hall. However, he was stopped by a smirking Legolas standing before the door.

"Le abdollen."**You're late.** Legolas said, a slight smile on his face. "You look terrible."

Both of them grinned at that, I began rushing over to them. Eowyn was not far behind, but I lost the feel of her behind me when Legolas handed the Evenstar pendant back to its rightful owner.

"Hannon lle." **Thank you.** Aragorn told him, nodding his head in thanks.

Aragorn looked down at the shining pendant in his hand, then fastened the chain around his neck once more. Legolas was smiling at Aragorn, as I half-tackled Aragorn in a hug. He stumbled sideways from the impact, my arms wrapped around his neck.

"You idiot," I told him. "Who told you that you were allowed to jump off cliffs. Has to be one of the stupidest things you have ever done."

He laughed at my play scolding him, hugged me tighter and then released me. I let go of his neck, but stayed near his side.

"Now, I believe you were going to tell the king something." I reminded him, he looked at me curiously then just smirked.

"One of these days you are going to have to tell me how you do that." He told me with a grin, but his face set back to neutral as he faced the hall.

"I told you he would come back." I informed Legolas, he looked at me with a sad smile.

"I should have listened to you." He replied.

We stood back, letting Aragorn make his dramatic entrance as he pushed open the doors to the hall. He is rewarded by surprised looks from Theoden and Gamling. Theoden halts his conversation and moved towards Aragorn.

"My lord, Isenguard sends a great host. We must prepare for battle, they will be here soon." He stated simply.

"A great host you say?" Theoden questions him.

"All Isenguard is emptied." He told the king.

"How many?" The king questions, worry flowing into his tone.

"Five thousand strong at least." Aragorn responded.

"Five thousand?" The king asked aghast at the number.

I paused, Aragorn must be mistaken. There was supposed to be at least ten thousand, five thousand was far too few to take the fortress.

"Aragorn, you must be mistaken. Isenguard's force is of ten thousand." I tried to explain.

"Saffron, there was not ten thousand Uruk-hai. The force was assuredly around five thousand strong." He told me.

I frowned, something was not right here. Why did Isenguard only send five thousand troops when they had at least twice that? The only thing that I could think was that DiDi had something to do with this. Had she really helped Saruman and told him that he needed to keep half his army to fend off the Ent invasion? As much as I wanted to believe that my best friend wouldn't betray us like that, it was looking shadier and shadier each passing minute.

"It is an army bred for a single purpose: To destroy the world of Men. They will be here by nightfall." Aragorn continued explaining to the king.

I was only listening slightly now, thinking about what DiDi had done to send a lesser force. Had she set it up so that Merry and Pippin would fall at Isenguard? What happened to the rest of the Uruk-hai army?

"Let them come!" Theoden's voice rang through my troubled mind.

I snapped back to attention when everyone started to empty the hall, taking a tour of the defenses instead. Legolas had to come over and shake me from my thoughts and get me moving. I walked behind the others, looking at the people who were fearful of the impending attack.

"I want every man and strong lad able to bear arms to be ready for battle by nightfall." Theoden instructed, going through his battle plan with us.

Gamling nodded and headed off to see to the king's order. Theoden continued walking, surveying his keep. We made our way to the ramp outside of the gate.

"We will cover the causeway from above. No army has ever breached the Deeping wall, or set foot in the Hornburg." Theoden proudly declared.

"There is a first time for everything, my lord." I told him, earning me a glare.

"This is no rabble of mindless Orcs, these are Uruk-hai. Their armor is thick and their shields broad." Gimli told the king.

"I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf. I know how to defend my own keep." The king snarled at Gimli.

It was slightly ridiculous that Theoden was ignoring the input of everyone else. Especially Gimli, this was after all a mountain fortress, a dwarf specialty. As well as the fact that, aside from me, Theoden was surely the youngest in this group.

"They will break upon this fortress like water on rock." Theoden stated as we walked around the inner rampart. "Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn. We've seen it before. Crops can be re-sown… homes rebuilt. Within these walls… we will outlast them."

"They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages. They come to destroy its people… down to the last child." Aragorn straight-forwardly told Theoden.

"What would you have me do? Look at my men. Their courage hangs by a thread. If this be our end, then I would make have them make such an end, as to be worthy of remembrance." Theoden harshly told Aragorn in a quieter tone.

"Send out riders, my lord. You must call for aid." Aragorn suggested.

"And who will come? Elves? Dwarves? We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead." Theoden returned.

"Gondor will answer." Aragorn stated assuredly.

"Gondor? Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us? Where was Gon—" Theoden ranted, then caught himself abruptly. "No, my lord Aragorn, we are alone."

Theoden turned from our group and began walking back towards Gamling, who now waited outside the hall for the king.

"Get the women and children into the caves." Theoden ordered.

"We need more time to lay provisions." Gamling began to protest.

"There is no time. War is upon us. Secure the gate." The king replied sharply.

I turned and looked at the bedraggled Aragorn. It was evident that he had taken a bad fall and was in need of rest.

"You should be resting." I told him, my voice giving away my concern.

"We don't have time for me to rest, Saffron." He replied.

"We have time for you to at least tend to your wounds." I argued, he looked as though he was about to refute the fact that he was injured. "Don't argue, Aragorn. You fell off a cliff, there is at least some bruising."

He stopped his complaints and nodded his head. I grabbed his hand and dragged him over to where Eowyn was packing more baskets.

"Eowyn, where can I take Aragorn? He has some injuries that need tending to." I told her.

"There is a room you can use just down the hall. I can bring some healing supplies for you to use. Do you need any help?" she asked, obviously she was worried about Aragorn.

"I should be able to handle it." I told her.

Her face fell a little, but she quickly recovered and nodded her head. She pointed towards the room that we would be using, I once again dragged Aragorn. I opened the door, practically shoving him inside.

"You should rest you know." I told him, after shoving him down onto the bed.

"We don't have time, Saffron." He argued.

"I understand that, but you are going to be in better fighting condition if you rested." I replied. "Take off your shirt."

His face was fantastic, shock written across his face. But he must have understood where I was going with this, as he began removing the bracers with the white tree of Gondor on them. There was a knock on the door, which I opened to reveal Eowyn standing there with a basin full of water and bandages in her hands.

"Thank you." I told her, gratefully taking the healing supplies from her.

"Of course, if you need anything else do not hesitate to ask." She told me. I could hear the note of envy in her voice, that I was the one taking care of Aragorn instead of her.

I nodded and smiled at her, she turned and left shutting the door behind her. I felt a little bad that I was keeping her from taking care of Aragorn, but it was necessary. After all, he was going to marry Arwen when he realized that she hadn't left him.

When I looked back over at Aragorn he was down to only his shirt. There were a few small cuts on his face but nothing looked too serious. I took a cloth that had been mixed in with the bandages and dipped it into the water. Setting the basin and the bandages next to the bed, I began cleaning his face of the grime and blood.

"You really should bath more often." I commented with a smirk. "The dirt could infect any cuts you receive."

"I'll keep that in mind." He laughed.

Underneath the dirt was only a few cuts, I cleaned them as best I could and dipped the cloth back in the water. I paused, which caused him to look at me.

"Shirt." I directed him once more. He looked hesitant for half a moment, but consented and removed his shirt.

His chest was covered in bruises, but luckily there were no cuts across his upper body. I wiped away the dirt that had formed on his upper chest where the shirt didn't protect from the dirt.

"Do you think anything is broken?" I asked him.

"Not that I could tell." He replied.

"This is going to hurt some." I warned him, he nodded his head for me to continue none-the-less.

I carefully began feeling his sides, prodding the ribs and checking for tenderness that most likely wasn't related to the bruising. He held his breath as I prodded around his ribs.

"Does it hurt to breath more than it does for me to poke the bruising?" I asked him.

"Not particularly."

I examined his abdomen, looking for any deformities that may show he had broken his ribs.

"I think you escaped with only some bruising."

"Then I will be fine to fight."

"Well, it's going to hurt like hell if you get hit. But you should know more about fighting injured than I do. So it's your decision there."

"I can fight fine like this."

"Go ahead and put your shirt back on then."

He followed my instructions and slipped his shirt back on over his head. Then I took his hands and washed them with the damp cloth. Underneath all the dirt he was rather tan, it was almost strange seeing him not caked in filth.

"I still think you should rest, but since you aren't going to listen to me. We should get going."

He nodded and finished putting the rest of his clothes on. Then he got up from the bed and moved to the door. I followed after him, closing the door behind us. Aragorn quickly found Legolas and Gimli, we walked around the keep as Aragorn made his own instructions on what we should do. A few soldiers walked along with us, listening to the adjustments that Aragorn suggested.

"Move back. Move to the caves." The voices of soldiers were heard, urging people to the safety of the caves.

"Come on, people. Quickly now." The soldiers continued.

"We'll place the reserves along the wall. The can support the archers above the gate." Aragorn remarked as he walked.

"Aragorn, you must rest. You're no use to us half-alive." Legolas tried once more.

"Aragorn!" Eowyn called, rushing over to him. Legolas and Gimli moved on and I stayed with them, not wanting to be involved in this conversation. "I'm to be sent with the women into the caves."

"That is an honorable charge." He told her.

"To mind the children, to find food and bedding when the men return. What renown is there in that?" She questioned him, irritated that this was her assignment.

"My lady, the time will come for valor without renown. Who then will your people look to in their last defense?"

"Let me stand at your side." She pleaded with him, wanting the chance to prove herself.

"It is not in my power to command it." He stated, then turned and began to walk toward us.

"You do not command the others to stay!" she shouted at him.

He turned back around to face Eowyn, she was pleading with him through her eyes. But he remained unaffected, knowing it was not his place to say whether she could fight or not.

"They fight beside you because they would not be parted from you. Because they love you." She all but whispered the last part.

Their eyes meet and there is definitely a moment of intensity, she had just basically told him that she loved him. Eowyn broke the eye contact and looked away.

"I'm sorry." She told him. "But, my lord, will you allow Saffron to fight?"

"If Saffron chooses to fight that is of her own accord, as well of the consent of the king." He responded.

Eowyn looked crestfallen, but nodded her head and turned away returning to the caves. Aragorn walked back over to us, his eyes meeting mine. I suppose I probably should have warned him about Eowyn's crush.

"Saffron, do you wish to fight tonight?" he asked me.

"Yes." I replied hastily.

He nodded his head and the four of us took off to the armory, wanting to inspect the weapons that would be used tonight.

***End Chapter 21***

There it is. You know the drill, Read and Review.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: I own nothing, as always.

***Chapter 22***

**Saffy's POV**

I leaned against one of the walls in the armory, trying to stay out of the way, while Aragorn inspected the weapons. He picked up a sword, looking at the blade for flaws, and then puts it back down. He moved over toward Gimli, I slipped along the wall in that direction as well.

"Farmers, ferriers, stablehands. These are no soldiers." He stated sadly.

"Most have seen too many winters." Gimli stated gruffly, smoking on his pipe.

"Or too few." Legolas added, looking at the young boys given weapons. "Look at them. They're frightened. I can see it in their eyes."

Silence fell in the armory in place of the noisy bustle that was there only a moment before. Everyone is staring at Legolas, shocked that he would be willing to say that for all of them to hear.

"Boe a hyn: neled herin dan leben menig." **And they should be: three hundred against five thousand.** He switched into elvish.

"Si beriathar hyn ammaeg na ned Edoras." **They have more hope of defending themselves here than at Edoras.** Aragorn replied.

"Aragorn, nedin dagor hen ú-'erir... ortheri. Natha daged dhaer!" **Aragorn, they cannot win this fight. They are all going to die.** Legolas told him honestly.

"Then I shall die as one of them!" Aragorn yells at Legolas.

There was a collective gasp at what was said, from what they understood from Aragorn they could guess what the rest of the conversation had been. While Aragorn and Legolas glared at one another, the whole of the armory began whispering about what they had implied from the small part of the conversation they had understood.

Aragorn stormed off away from Legolas, walking out of the armory. I followed after him, moving through the path created in Aragorn's wake. I finally caught up to him on the walls outside, he was still fuming.

"I understand that you are upset, Aragorn. But you need to calm down. You are beginning to frighten the men." I told him quietly, eyeing the soldiers who were warily eyeing him.

"We have to have hope that we can win this fight, otherwise we will surely fail." He told me.

"To be honest, things are actually looking pretty good from my perspective." I told him, earning me a harsh glare. "You know how I sometimes seem to know what is going to happen ahead of time?"

"Yes, I was curious about that." He stated, staring intently at me.

"Well, Di and I's world has all the events that are going to happen here as common knowledge. Stories that people around the world know." I explained. To which he nodded showing he understood what I was saying. "But it seems that DiDi and I are affecting things. Instead five thousand Uruk-hai coming to attack us, it's supposed to be ten thousand."

"Ten thousand?" he questioned then a light went off in his head. "That is why you said that I had the numbers wrong."

"I thought that there would be ten thousand Uruk-hai coming. Because that is how I know it to go. If you win the fight against ten thousand Uruk-hai, then five thousand is looking really good."

He smiled, but then his face fell into a frown. He looked me straight in the eye, concern flashing through his eyes.

"Do you know why things are changing?" he asked me seriously.

"I think that DiDi might have something to do with it." I said cautiously. "I don't know how or what she is doing but I can only hope that it is good."

"You are beginning to doubt her." He stated.

"She's my best friend, but I just don't know anymore. I mean, what happened to the other half of the army?"

"You think that she truly has betrayed us then?" he asked.

"I don't think so. She has always been incredibly loyal, threatening anyone who hurts her friends. But this is making me really nervous." I answered. "Please don't tell Legolas, he doesn't need to hear this, it's just speculation after all."

Aragorn nodded his head, then looked over at a young boy in armor with his sword in his hands. Aragorn moved over to the boy, planning on offering the boy some comfort. I slowly approached them with a smile.

"Give me your sword." He instructed the boy, who followed his directions and offered the blade to Aragorn.

"What is your name?" Aragorn questioned as he took the sword to examine it.

"Haleth, son of Hama, my lord. The men are saying we will not live through the night. They say it is hopeless." The boy tells him sorrowfully.

Aragorn sighed at the despair working its way through the people. He extended the sword out in his hand and took a few swings with it, checking the balance. He then handed the sword back to Haleth.

"This is a good sword." Aragorn stated, looking the boy directly in the eye. "Haleth, son of Hama, there is always hope."

Haleth gives Aragorn a small smile, silently thanking him for the reassurance. Then Aragorn heads back into the armory, I followed after him knowing that I need to get ready myself, even though I am already wore my elven armor. Aragorn found some chainmail for himself and removed his over shirts, leaving only his red undershirt. He pulled on the chainmail and began to redress in his other shirts. He tightens the leather vest across his chest and the bracers on his forearms. Then he reached for his sword only to be handed the blade by Legolas.

"We have trusted you this far. You have not led us astray. Forgive me. I was wrong to despair." Legolas apologized.

"Ú-moe edaved, Legolas." **There is nothing to forgive, Legolas.** Aragorn replied with a smile.

They both smile at one another, putting a hand on the others shoulder. I turn to see Gimli struggling with his chainmail, trying to force it down over his barrel-like chest.

"We had time, I'd get this adjusted." Gimli grumbled, letting the shirt drop only to pool on the ground around his feet. "It's a little tight across the chest."

I laughed at him, standing there complaining about how the shirt, which looked like a dress on him, was tight across the chest and not that it hit the ground.

"Did you get the largest size they offered?" I asked with a laugh.

He humphed and looked away from me. The sound of a horn carried through the open doorway.

"That is no orc horn." Legolas said, as he led the group of us rushing to the front gate.

We found ourselves on the steps leading down to the entrance of the keep, staring at an army of Elves, led by none other than Haldir.

"How is this possible?" Theoden asked, shocked at there was aid after all.

"I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together." Haldir stated, spying the four of us in the crowd behind the king. "We come to honor that allegiance."

Aragorn runs down past the king to Haldir, greeting him. He stands just before Haldir a bright smile on his face.

"Mae govannen, Haldir." **Well met, Haldir.** Aragorn states, then hugs the shocked elf. "You are most welcome."

Legolas is the next to hug Haldir, causing all the elves to turn militaristically toward us. Legolas moves to Haldir's right side. I embrace the elf as well, until my eye is caught by an elf standing just to Haldir's left. There in all her armor and weapons, is Nimiwen. Haldir nodded his head once and she breaks formation pulling me tightly into her arms.

"Nimiwen." I said excited, without a thought I pull back and kiss her fully on the lips.

There is a gasp from many of the people of Helm's Deep. But I couldn't care less, Nimiwen was here even though she was in danger being here. I hugged her once more, not wanting to let go of her. When I pull away once more, her hand moves to my neck. She fingers the pendant that is placed at the hollow of my throat, the one that she gave me. It was very similar to the Evenstar pendant that Aragorn wore, but mine had silvery vines wrapping around the sides. She smiled softly, but removed her hand knowing that she probably should retain some of the regality of the elves.

Apparently we had missed what had happened next with Haldir and the king, as we were standing in the same place while most all of the other elves were gone.

"Where is Deirdre?" Nimiwen asked softly.

"Isenguard." I said sadly, she wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

"I'm sorry, meleth." **I'm sorry, love.** She said, trying to sooth my sorrow. "Are you going to fight tonight?"

"Yes, I was going to. Why?" I questioned.

"I don't want you to be harmed in anyway." She admitted, expressing her desire of wanting me not to fight.

"I feel the same way about you. But it seems that both of us will have to accept it tonight." I told her.

I grabbed her hand and dragged her along, finding Aragorn with Haldir setting up where the Elves would be.

"Nimiwen," Haldir greeted her. "Saffron, I was wondering when you two would decide to come and find us."

"Sorry about that." I said quietly.

"It is fine. Nimiwen, you may fight alongside either myself or alongside Saffron with Legolas and Gimli." Haldir gave her the options.

"I will fight where you need me the most." She stated, although it was obvious where she would rather fight.

"Fight alongside Saffron, it will make you more effective in battle if you two are not worrying about the other's wellbeing." He replied.

We both smiled at him, thankful that he was letting us stay together. Aragorn pointed in the direction that Legolas and Gimli were in. We walked hand in hand to Legolas and Gimli, who were standing at the wall.

"Hey." I said, taking the spot next to Legolas while Nimiwen stood on my other side.

"Are you ready?" Legolas asked me.

"Yep, bring on the Uruk-hai." I said rather cheerily.

However my cheer dissipated when the army of Uruk-hai approached, the walls of Helm's Deep shook with each step of the massive army. I kept telling myself that this was better than having to fight ten thousand, but it wasn't really helping all that much.

"You could have picked a better spot." Gimli grumbled, I smiled at how he was too short to look over the wall.

Aragorn, who had been walking along the line of the elves, stopped behind us. We all glanced back at him, a slight smile of encouragement was on my face.

"Well, lad, whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night." Gimli told him, sounding slightly worried.

"Your friends are with you, Aragorn." Legolas reassured.

"Let's hope they last the night." Gimli grumbled in response.

I looked back at him, smiling. He gave me a half-hearted smile in response. Then I looked back down at the army before the walls.

"Well, it could be worse." I said. "Could be raining."

Nimiwen gave a small laugh. But as soon as she did, there was a crack of thunder and the sky was lit for a moment by lightning, as the sky opened upon us and the rain began. Everyone around me shot me a look, to which I shrugged my shoulders amused that my timing was that fantastic. Aragorn continued to walk along the line of elves, giving orders in Elvish.

"A Eruchîn, ú-dano i faelas a hyn an uben tanatha le faelas!" **Show them no mercy! For you shall receive none!** He called out.

The lead Uruk holds his hand up to stop the army, they stand grunts and grumbles echoing out from them. I glance over to see Gimli jumping up and down, trying to see over the wall. Even with the seriousness of the battle, I barely contain the laughter bubbling up inside me.

"What's happening out there?" Gimli asks, still trying to see over the wall.

"Shall I describe it to you?" Legolas asked. "Or would you like me to find a box?"

I laugh at them, as do Gimli and Legolas. My attention returns to the Uruk-hai army, as the Uruks below began to stamp their spear butts against the ground. An arrow whizzes past us, lodging itself in the neck of an Uruk-hai.

"Dartho!" **Hold.** Aragorn commands, holding his hand up.

There was silence as the Uruk fell to the ground, then the shouting of the Uruk-hai resumed. The lead Uruk thrust his scimitar forward and shouts something. The Uruk-hai began charging the walls at a run.

"Tangado a chadad!" **Prepare to fire.** Aragorn ordered.

All the Elven archers put an arrow in their bows, including the two on either side of me.

"Faeg i-varv dîn na lanc a nu ranc. " **Their armor is weak at the neck and beneath the arm. **Legolas told the Elves around him.

"Leithio I philinn!" **Release the arrows.** Aragorn shouted.

Arrows are released from the bows of the elven archers, each arrow seemed to strike an Uruk-hai, who fell to the ground, and was trampled by the Uruk behind it.

"Did they hit anything?" Gimli asked.

More arrows were released in a volley from behind us, as the arrows of the men of Rohan sailed toward the army. Not as many Uruk-hai fell under this second volley, but still many met their end.

"Ribed bant!" **Full volley.** Aragorn ordered.

Another set of arrows flew down, striking the charging Uruk-hai. Many more fell, but still there were more Uruk-hai that stood before the walls of Helm's Deep.

"Send them to me! Come on!" Gimli growled, impatient to start in on the killing.

As Uruks steadily dropped under the assault of the arrows, the Uruk-hai army began firing at the elves with crossbows. Several of the elven warriors fell off the walls, crashing against the ground that was so far down. While more of the Uruk-hai raised ladders up so that the battle could come to hand to hand combat.

"Pendraith!" **Ladders.** Aragorn shouted.

"Good!" Gimli cheers.

I whipped my swords out, waiting for my chance at battle. I can see the ladders rising nearer and nearer. The Uruks standing atop the ladders are larger than the others that we had seen previously.

"Swords! Swords!" Aragorn orders, many of the Elves comply with his order and draw their swords.

I stood near the anchor points of one of the ladders, my swords in my hands. The first Uruk who comes over the top is shot down by one of the archers before I can attack. But the next is all mine as I sliced the neck and the Uruk fell backwards, knocking another off the ladder below him. I continued to slice through every Uruk that I could, venting all my anger that my best friend had left me and undoubtedly had something to do with this attack.

"Legolas!" I heard Gimli call. "Two already!"

"I'm on seventeen." Legolas replied.

My swords were fast at work carving through the Uruks who climbed up trying to cut down the people of Rohan, but I wasn't having any of it.

"I'll have no pointy-ear outscoring me!" Gimli shouted, slicing into another Uruk.

"Nineteen." Legolas replied.

I started ignoring their banter and focused on slaying the Uruk-hai that came over the wall. To one side I saw Aragorn slicing the wires connecting the ladders, I mimicked his action and sent another ladder crashing down on the army below.

The battle raged on, mind-numbingly so. There was little thought other than for preservation, but out of the corner of my eye I saw the berserker Uruk running with the sparking torch toward the drain that was only a few feet away.

"Togo hon dad, Legolas!" **Bring him down, Legolas.** Aragorn called, having spotted the same Uruk as I had.

An arrow flew into the charging Uruk, but it simply wouldn't stop. Another Uruk arriving on top of the wall distracted me, as I sliced through it I heard Aragorn calling once more.

"Dago hon! Dago hon!" **Kill him! Kill him!** Aragorn called again.

Another arrow connected with the flesh of the rampaging Uruk-hai, but it wasn't enough to stop it from tossing itself into the culvert where the explosives were below. The world paused for a second, I could feel the ground shake beneath me. The sensation of flight came to me, as I was tossed backwards from the now broken wall. Parts of the wall were all around me, I looked around shocked at what was happening. Seeing it in the movies was one thing, but actually being thrown backwards by the force of the blast was entirely different. I was falling now, my body slammed into the water with incredible force. Pain rocketed through my body, the water closed around me. I barely shut my mouth in time to keep it from surging into my lungs. Everything was black for a moment. There was the sound of footsteps pounding against the ground, but it sounded so far away.

Color began to flood into my eyes once more, I pulled myself from underneath the water. Thankfully my swords had remained at my sides, I hastily grabbed them looking at the approaching forces of the Uruk-hai. In the water next to me, Aragorn also comes to. My mind races on whether or not Nimiwen is safe, but I don't have time to check for her.

"Aragorn!" Gimli calls, drawing Aragorn's attention to the advancing Uruk-hai.

Gimli proceeded to jump from the wall and smashed into the Uruk-hai below, crushing several of them and landing safely in the mass of spear bearing Uruks.

"Gimli!" Aragorn called.

Gimli rose from his place among the fallen Uruks, taking his axe and slicing into them. However, he gets thrown back by one of the berserkers and fell into the water nearer to us. Aragorn raised his sword, directing it at the Uruk-hai.

Hado I philinn!" **Release arrows!** He calls to the Elves.

Arrows go flying at the Uruk-hai, several fall to the ground. Although the elves managed to slay several of the Uruk-hai there were still a large amount racing forward to attack us.

"Herio!" **Charge!** He calls.

That is all I need as I race toward the Uruk-hai with my swords drawn. An Uruk-hai falls to either of my blades, having swiped cleanly through their throats. Another Uruk attempts to bring a sword down on my, but I block with one blade and impale the Uruk on my other sword. There are hundreds of elves behind us, attacking the Uruk-hai as well, but it still isn't enough to push them back as we are getting close to being overrun. Gimli resurfaced from underneath the water, Aragorn grabs him. But Gimli still tried to fight the Uruk-hai. I sheathed one of my swords and grabbed Gimli's other arm, helping Aragorn drag him backwards.

The battle rages on, blades slice through armor and flesh. The sounds of death echo through the air, as the dying screams of many elves permeate the air. Black Uruk blood coats my swords. Some of the blood had sprayed across my face, mainly from slicing through the arteries of the Uruk-hai. Sweat ran down my face, mingling with the blood. An Uruk spear had sliced along my upper arm, so now the thick blood oozed down my arm.

There were too many Uruk-hai coming through the breached wall. It has become apparent that we can't continue to fight the swarming Uruk-hai without all dying in the process.

"Aragorn! Fall back to the Keep! Get your men out of there!" Theoden calls to us.

"Nan Barad! Nan Barad!"** To the Keep! Pull back to the Keep!** Aragorn calls to the elves. "Haldir, nan Barad!" **Haldir, to the Keep!**

Haldir began to pass on the order to his elves, I sliced through another Uruk-hai, attempting to get up to him.

"Nan Barad!" **To the Keep!** Haldir called once more.

I'm a few feet away when the sword of an Uruk goes into his stomach. He turned away from the attack Uruk, clutching at his stomach as blood poured out. The Uruk raises it's blade once more, bringing it down onto Haldir's back. His eyes widened with shock, but I still fought to reach him.

"Haldir!" Aragorn called out to them.

Aragorn and I reach Haldir at about the same time. But while Aragorn leans down propping Haldir up in his arms, I slice into the Uruk who felled him. There are more around as I continue to hack my way through them.

"Saffron!" Aragorn called, having risen from his place beside the now dead Haldir.

I nodded my head and he got up punching an Uruk in the face. We each grab a side of the nearest ladder, riding it as it fell onto the mass of Uruk-hai below. I tossed myself into a group of them, smashing them down and my swords dug into the bodies of two of the Uruks below me. We fought through the Uruk-hai all around us, I refused to leave Aragorn to fight these Uruks as they surrounded us. We were aided in our escape by a few of the elves, who fired arrows into the Uruk-hai around us. There was an opening in the Uruk-hai around us, and we took it. Racing back towards the keep and cutting down the Uruks as we went. We made our way back into the keep where Theoden and his men were barricading the gate to keep the Uruks out.

"We cannot hold much longer!" Gamling's voice carried to us as we approach.

"Hold them!" Theoden tells us.

"How long do you need?" Aragorn asked in response.

"As long as you can give me." The king responded.

"Gimli!" Aragorn said as he pushed the dwarf into the side passage.

I followed after them, Aragorn paused when he realized that I was planning on going with them. He shook his head at me.

"We don't have time to argue. I'm coming with you." I informed him, continuing down the hallway ahead of him and Gimli.

"Guess that ends that discussion." Gimli stated.

We slipped through the passage and out a secret door a little ways away from the causeway. I lead the way, watching them come out behind me and stick close to the wall. The distance between the edge of our rock and the causeway was too far to me to jump, I realized. I glanced back at Aragorn.

"You are going to have to toss me over." I whispered to Aragorn.

He nodded his head reluctantly, still not happy that I had insisted on coming with them. But he was beginning to accept it, he looked at the distance between the cliff side we stood on and the causeway. He smirked at me, then wiped it off his face as he looked at Gimli.

"Come on. We can take them." Gimli cheered on.

"It's a long way." Aragorn replied seriously.

"Toss me." Gimli mumbled after a moment's hesitation.

"What?" Aragorn asked quietly, he was secretly amused by this.

"I cannot jump the distance. You'll have to toss me." Gimli repeated, much to my amusement. "Don't tell the elf."

Aragorn nodded and said. "Not a word."

He then proceeded to grab me about the waist, pulling me over in front of him. Then I was airborne with my swords in either hand. I crashed into the Uruk-hai on the causeway, knocking several off. Gimli came crashing into them next, followed by Aragorn who jumped over and began slicing through the Uruk-hai. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, there was always another Uruk-hai lining up to be slaughtered. Not a single one managed to hit us. The voices of the men barricading the door begins to lessen as the sound is blocked by wood.

"Gimli! Aragorn! Saffron! Get out of there!" Theoden shouts out through the last of the gaps.

Both Gimli and Aragorn turned to look at Theoden. But they had turned their backs on the advancing Uruk-hai. One of the Uruks reached to grab them, but I dragged my sword through its neck first. Blood spurted out of the Uruk's neck and splattered across the gate, I glanced back to see some of the black blood across the face of the king. I continued to hack and slash my way through the Uruk-hai. Thankfully, Gimli and Aragorn returned to paying attention to the Uruk-hai before us.

"Aragorn! Gimli! Saffron!" Legolas' voice sounded from above us as a rope was lowered down.

The likelihood of all three of us being hoisted up on that rope wasn't that great. Luckily there was another rope lowered on the other side of the causeway, I looked up to the top of the rope and saw Nimiwen holding the rope.

"Go on, Saffron." Aragorn instructed.

I sheathed my swords and grabbed onto the rope, slowly beginning to climb it. Luckily, Nimiwen began hauling the rope up with the aid of another elf behind her. I glanced back down, seeing that Aragorn and Gimli had climbed up on their own rope and were being hauled up by Legolas. We are all dragged over the wall, and I nodded my thanks to Nimiwen. There wasn't time to get distracted by the fact that it was my girlfriend who hauled me up.

"Fall back to the Keep!" rang through the air.

We followed the order, slicing down some of the Uruks as we went. There were shouts of soldiers as we raced back to the keep, abandoning the outer wall.

"Hurry! Inside. Get them inside." Aragorn shouts as we race back towards the keep.

We barricade ourselves inside the main hall, the sun will be rising soon. The men inside the keep begin to block off the door with tables and benches and the sound of the battering ram being used on the door is heard.

"The fortress is taken. It is over." Theoden said despairingly.

"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defended it. They still defend it. They have died defending it." Aragorn shouted to the king as he ran back and forth carrying more objects to barricade the door with.

"Is there no way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Aragorn asks the king only to receive no reply. "Is there no other way?"

"There is one passage. It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far. The Uruk-hai are too many." Gamling told us.

"Tell the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance." Aragorn tells Gamling, laying a hand on the shoulder of the king.

"So much death." Theoden states, obviously not entirely here. "What can Men do against such reckless hate?"

"My lord, your niece and your people are in the caves. We cannot give up now and leave them to slaughter." I argued with the king.

"Ride out with me." Aragorn said, drawing the attention of the king. "Ride out and meet them."

"For death and glory." Theoden stated almost whimsically.

"For Rohan. For your people." Aragorn persuades.

"The sun is rising." Gimli announced, looking at the sun which streamed in through one of the few windows.

"Yes! Yes!" Theoden called out to the surprise of everyone in the hall. "The Horn of Helmhammerhand will sound in the Deep one last time."

"Yes!" Gimli declared.

Several of the guards ran to the stables and found horses for everyone, luckily there was an access from the hall for specifically this reason. Our horses were saddled and ready to ride quickly. I moved over to Nimiwen, who had finally taken a break from barricading the door.

"We made it this long." I told her, taking her hands in mine. "Don't you dare die on me when we ride out there."

She smirked and we kissed once more, my hands slipped into her hair. She pulled me tightly against her once more. Then we pulled apart, ready to face the remnants of the army outside of the gate.

We mounted onto the horses, leaving behind a small amount of men who would take care of all the Uruks who survived our initial assault. Theoden was waiting on his horse in the front of our party, to his right was Aragorn with Gamling to his left.

"Let this be the hour we draw swords together." Theoden stated.

The sound of Gimli blowing the horn from above is heard. The door is trembling under the assault of the battering ram, nearing its' breaking point.

"Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath, now for ruin, and a red dawn." Theoden proclaimed as the door came crashing down before our horses and Uruks came storming toward us.

**Deirdre's POV**

I awoke early the next morning. The Uruk-hai army that I had helped send to Helm's Deep would be failing, soon to be destroyed. I rose from the bed and went to look out over the balcony. The sun was rising in the east, tainted with red streaks. Maybe Legolas was right, the dawn was red when blood was spilled. I looked out over toward the edge of the forest of Fangorn. Slowly approaching from the trees were Ents, and on the top of the closest Ent were two small shapes.

I smirked and watched as the howls of the Ents reached me on the slight wind. Today Isenguard would fall. I took one final look at the approaching Ents and some of the trees of the forest moving toward Helm's Deep, then I headed back inside my chambers. Stripping off my black nightgown and slipping into the bath. This was going to be a good day.

***End Chapter 22***

Sorry it's taken me so long to update. My account I swear hates me now, my DocX hasn't been working appropriately. Hopefully it will begin behaving and I can resume updating in a more regular manner.

Read and Review.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 23***

**Saffy's POV**

The inner door fell to the ground in front of our horses and the Uruk-hai came rushing towards us, their footsteps echoing across the floor.

"Forth Eorlingas!" Theoden cried as we spurred our horses into action, weapons drawn.

We rode forth, trampling the Uruk-hai, who were in our way. I held onto my horse tightly with my legs, my swords sweeping off the heads of Uruk-hai as we passed. They fell beneath us, the sound of armor clattering and being trampled filled the air. War cries sounded as we rode out. We left the darkness behind as we rode out into the pre-dawn light. The horn sounds once more as we ride out. We passed through the front gates onto the causeway, knocking the Uruk-hai off right and left. We slammed into the mass of Uruk-hai that were at the base of the causeway, a few of the riders fell, slain by the consuming number of Uruk-hai.

The sun grew nearer and nearer to the horizon, I glanced up at the hill which led into the valley that Helm's Deep was in. Sitting astride Shadowfax was Gandalf, standing alone on the hilltop.

"Gandalf." Aragorn said with a smile as he saw our friend high up on the mountainside.

Within a moment, another figure arrived behind him. The figure paused for a moment next to Gandalf; then raised their sword. A cry was heard down in the valley amongst the fighting.

"Rohirrim!" We heard Eomer call.

Along with Gandalf and Eomer came nearly three thousand riders, we continued to ride forward, slicing into Uruk-hai.

"Eomer!" Theoden said with a smile.

The Uruk-hai stopped fighting for a second, looking instead at the figures on the hill. The Uruk-hai turned their attention to the army up on the hill. Obviously they were not expecting us to have re-enforcements. There was only about one or two thousand Uruk-hai left, we had wiped out most of their force, and most of the Uruk-hai turned to face the large threat that was up on the hill.

"To the king!" Eomer cried out loud enough for us to hear.

We continue to fight riding forward as the Rohirrim rides down the hill to meet the Uruk-hai army head on. The Uruks set up a defensive wall of spears that would take out the horses, if not for the morning sun light that with the help of Gandalf 's magic momentarily blinded the Uruk-hai army as the two groups clashed. The sound of fighting renewed and we fought our way toward the Rohirrim. Within minutes, the remains of the Uruk army are fleeing into the forest which wasn't there the night before. Eomer rides out in front of his men, halting their chase of the Uruk-hai.

"Stay out of the forest! Keep away from the trees!" Eomer shouted, making sure none of his men followed the Uruk-hai into the forest.

We all stopped our pursuit as the forest groaned, there was a moment while the Uruk-hai continued to run into the trees. Until the trees began moving, squashing the Uruks who had sought safety in the forest.

Our army turned back to the daunting task of cleaning up the ruins left behind by the battle. Clearing away all the fallen soldiers of Rohan and the elven realms, as well as piling and burning the corpses of the Uruks who had attacked us. It was going to be a long day, clearing away the death and decay that surrounded Helm's Deep to reveal the life that still thrived in the heart of Rohan. I rode back to Helm's Deep with the others, Nimiwen on her horse next to me.

"We need to ride to Isenguard to deal with Saruman." Gandalf announced on the way back.

"He will pay for the lives lost here." Theoden swore. "We shall ride for Isenguard at midday, until then there is work to be done."

**Deirdre's POV**

I had changed into my flowing black dress once more and decided that I wanted to watch the fall of Isenguard. This place had been my prison for the past few days. I wandered out to the balcony, watching as the Ents chased around the Orcs on the ground, throwing rocks and killing them. I watched as Merry and Pippin threw rocks at Orcs, as the Orcs crumpled at the impact.

"A hit. A fine hit." Treebeard roared out in his Entish way of talking.

Wooden towers were knocked into the underground labyrinth, rocks are hurled all over the place. Some of the Ents are lit on fire with flaming arrows, while others attempt to break the dam.

"Break the dam! Release the river!" Treebeard ordered.

The river crashed around Isenguard, drowning many of the Orcs. The water raced toward the Ents, one of the Ents that was on fire raced forward dunking it's top in the water.

"Hold on, little hobbits." Treebeard warned the hobbits.

The water crashed against the Ents. It was truly amazing how fast they could take out the entirety of Isenguard. It had only been about ten minutes and they had succeeded in flooding everything. The only standing structure was the tower of Orthanc, which I was standing in. I knew Saruman would be flipping out right now, but I couldn't have cared less. Instead I walked over to the vanity. I had insisted that I have some writing materials in my room, and my request had been obliged. So now, I sat down at the vanity and pulled some of the parchment out of the stack and dipped the quill in the ink. I wrote a small note, meaning to send it down to the hobbits at some point. Once finished, I tucked the note under my pillow and went back out to the balcony.

I watched the Ents finish their takeover of Isenguard. One of the rocks that the hobbits threw went way off course and flew at me as I stood on the balcony. I ducked down quickly, the rock clattered against the door to my balcony and fell to the ground. I turned around and grabbed the rock tossing it onto my bed as well. It could prove somewhat helpful at some point. A knock sounded on the door to my chambers, I left my swords behind and opened the door. Standing before me was Wormtongue.

"Yes?" I asked in an annoyed tone.

"Saruman has requested your presence in his study." Wormtongue told me quietly, eyes intent on the ground as he spoke.

"For Valar's sake man, grow some balls." I growled at him.

Shoving him away from my door, I slammed the door shut behind me and strode to Saruman's study. Wormtongue trailed me as I walked, not daring to say anything. I really must have been terrifying to him, especially from the way that he shrunk away when I spoke. I flung open the door to Saruman's study. He was standing on the balcony, his hands griping the railing harshly. When he heard me enter he turned around with a glare fixed upon me.

"You will explain this." He ordered me, his tone coming out harshly.

I was going to have to be careful to dance around this subject so that he wouldn't have me killed by his Uruk-hai. I strode forward looking at Merry and Pippin on top of Treebeard.

"They were supposed to be dead." I told him flatly, the lie coming out naturally. "Something happened that they managed to outrun the Orc that was chasing after them. Only one of the hobbits was ever supposed to reach the Ents, and he wouldn't have the idea to come to Isenguard. He would be too scared. They must have run into Fangorn too early."

"Why did they run into Fangorn early?" he growled out.

"Saffron probably told them to. I can't predict the effects of her actions. Things were so close to going the right way. But she must have done something to mess it up." I began pacing my tone growing angry.

I had to work to keep the smile off of my face with how good I was at this. I could feign anger at my best friend, when all I wanted to do was dance around and stick my tongue out at Saruman. That I had won and he had failed.

"You had no idea that this would happen?" he questioned, his tone was let angry when he said this.

"I swear, my lord. If I had known I would never have let this happen." I told him, my face was dead serious.

"Do you have any idea how we will get out of this?" he questioned.

"I haven't an idea. Most all of my knowledge is derived from what I expect to happen. While generally I could think of a solution, I truly do not know what to do." I assured him.

"Very well, you are dismissed."

I nodded my head and left the study, leaving Wormtongue to deal with the angry Saruman. I strode back to my room, shutting the door behind me. I dug under my pillow and pulled out the note, I tied it to the rock using a scrap of fabric that I had cut off of my bed. I went back out to the balcony, below me were Merry and Pippin. They were standing there admiring what Treebeard was doing to Saruman and Isenguard. I looked at the two hobbits below me. I made sure that they would be able to read the note and tossed the rock toward the hobbits it splashed in the water next to them.

**Merry's POV**

"He doesn't look to happy, does he?" I asked Pippin rhetorically.

"Not too happy at all." Pip replied.

"Still, I suppose the view would be quite nice from up there." I responded.

We stood standing in waist high water watching Saruman fume about the attack on his tower. There was a man with dark black hair standing beside him, clothed in black. Saruman still wore white, but it seemed that everyone around him wore black, as the woman who had stood on the balcony minutes before had also been clothed in black. The worst thing was that the woman had looked identical to Deirdre. But I hoped that it hadn't been; that she wasn't working with Saruman.

"Oh, yes. It's a quality establishment. I hear the staff are very good." Pippin said, we continued to watch Saruman.

I looked at Pippin, who was standing a little before me. Since he had drunk the Ent draft, as Treebeard had called it, he had been a little taller than me. It was strange, so I looked at Pippin, who seemed to be a little shorter than me now. I put my hand up to my head, measuring our heights. I was back to being taller than him. He turned around as my hand was in the air, I grabbed the front of my hair pretending there was something in it.

"What are you doing?" he asked me.

"Nothing. The world's back to normal, that's all." I replied with a smile on my face.

"No it's not." He grumbled. "I'm starving."

"Good luck finding something edible to eat around here. There's probably nothing but bilge rats and moldy—" my sentence was cut off by something plopping into the water right next to me.

I picked it up, it was a rock with a piece of parchment tied onto it. Pippin turned to look at what I had found in the water. I removed the parchment from the rock and opened it. It was a note, addressed to Pippin and I.

_Dear Merry and Pippin,_

_I do hope that you actually picked up the note instead of ignoring it. Otherwise someone will find it randomly and not understand a word it says. As you have undoubtedly realized by now, I am at Isenguard. I'm actually up on the balcony above you. Look up, but don't wave. Saruman still has to think that I am helping him. I'll talk to you in person soon, but knowing you two, you're hungry. Well, I have a solution to this problem. Right behind you is Saruman's storeroom, there are plenty of goodies in there for you to enjoy. There is even a roast chicken and something I know you will enjoy, Longbottom Leaf. I do hope that you can forgive me for leaving you at the edge of Fangorn, but it seemed necessary at the time. Go ahead and enjoy the food. I'll see you both in person when the others show up._

_ Love Deirdre_

_P.S. If you can't find the storeroom, just follow the trail of food. Don't worry, you'll understand in a moment. _

I looked up at the tower, and surely enough on one of the balconies, there was Deirdre she was waving down at us. I smiled when I saw her. Happy that she was safe, even though she had possibly betrayed us. Pippin raised his hand to wave to her, but I grabbed his hand stopping him.

"Didn't you read the note, Pip? She specifically said not to wave to her." I told him, he looked apologetic instantly.

"Sorry." He mumbled. "What else does the note say?"

I handed it to him, he read the note, eyes lighting up when he came to the part about food and Longbottom Leaf. He looked at my delighted at what she had written.

"Where do you think Saruman's Storeroom is?" he questioned.

"She wrote 'follow the trail of food', what that means I don't know." I told him honestly.

"I think I do." He replied.

I looked over at him and found he was holding an apple in his hand, another apple floated by him and we both turned to look behind us. Sure enough, there was a trail of food floating toward us. I don't know how she did it, but I was grateful that she did. Pippin picked up the roast chicken that she had mentioned and put it into the basked that was floating out.

"Saruman's Storeroom." I stated, putting the name that Deirdre had given it upon the room.

We both broke out in grins, but sheer awe took over Pippin's face when he saw something up at the top. I followed his gaze and saw two barrels of South Farthing Longbottom Leaf.

"I don't believe it." He said in sheer awe.

"It can't be." I finished.

We climbed up onto the counter of the storeroom, each grabbing our own barrel of tobacco. We opened the tops of both, revealing the heavenly smell of the leaves.

"It is." Pippin said.

"Longbottom Leaf. The finest pipe-weed in South Farthing." I said, taking a deep-breath of the leaves.

"It's perfect. One barrel each." He said, shoving the one in my hands more into my hands as he held his close to his chest. "Wait. Do you think we should share it with Treebeard."

"Share it? No." I responded immediately. "No. Dead plant and all that. Don't think he'd understand. Could be a distant relative."

Pippin's eyes opened with wonder, he tapped the side of his nose with a smirk on his face. "I get it. Don't be hasty."

"Exactly." I said as I pulled my pipe out of my jacket and put it in my mouth. "Bah-rum."

My imitation of Treebeard made both of us laugh, then we packed our pipes with pipe-weed and lit the leaf inside. It was heavenly, smoking that Longbottom Leaf just then. We continued laughing and smoking up a storm. Suddenly, Treebeard peered into the storeroom. We both laughed again when he stared at us.

** Saffy's POV**

The morning had been spent piling corpses and checking for still alive soldiers. Only at late morning did Eowyn find me and give me some food. I thanked her, but continued my work as soon as I had finished. But finally, we were sitting astride our horses once more, ready to ride onto Isenguard to deal with Saruman. Our party was relatively small: Gandalf, Theoden, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Eomer, Gamling, Nimiwen and myself.

"Sauron's wrath will be terrible, his retribution swift." Gandalf stated as we began to ride out of the valley. "The battle for Helm's Deep is over. The battle for Middle Earth is about to begin. All our hope now lies with two little hobbits, somewhere in the wilderness."

We all moved out, it was going to be at least two days before we arrived at Isenguard. But I was hoping that DiDi was there and safe, clinging onto that tiny bit of hope that she hadn't betrayed us. I glanced over at Legolas, his expression was still angry. It seemed that whenever he wasn't it direct contact with other people he was angry. I rode through the day with Nimiwen by my side. We only broke to make came camp after the sun had set, obviously everyone was anxious to get to Isenguard quickly. I ate the food at camp, speaking mainly to Nimiwen. We fell asleep together that night, after a short night at camp where most everyone was quiet. The next day we would likely arrive at Isenguard as long as there was no surprise attack.

**Merry's POV**

We had sat at the gates of Isenguard for the past two days now, smoking and eating most of the day. Treebeard was ensuring that all the Orcs were dead and that they could reclaim Isenguard for Fangorn. As we sat and chewed on the salted pork and smoked our pipes, Pippin and I joked back and forth.

"It's good. Definitely from the Shire." Merry remarked. "Longbottom Leaf eh?"

I nodded my head and continued smoking on my pipe appreciatively. My eyes wandered once more over to the balcony that we had seen Deirdre on before, she wasn't there. It wasn't much of a surprise anymore. We hadn't seen her since she dropped the note for us.

"I feel like I'm back at the Green Dragon." Was my comment.

"Mmm." Merry hummed back in agreement. "Green Dragon."

"A mug of ale in my hand. Putting my feet up on a settle after a hard day's work." I continued, emphasizing my statement with a swig to my tankard of ale.

"Only, you've never done a hard day's work." Merry replied with a laugh.

I laugh along with him, but our laughter is cut off by the sounds of hooves splashing in the water. Looking over, there is Gandalf with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Saffron, Nimiwen, and a few men we don't know.

"Ah-ha!" Pippin declared, raising his mug in a salute to their arrival.

"Welcome, my lords. To Isenguard." I call out, having stood up so that they can see us better.

"You young rascals. A merry hunt you've led us on and now we find you feasting and… and smoking." Gimli sputtered out when he saw us.

"We are sitting on a field of victory enjoying a few well-earned comforts." Pippin informed them, slurring his words a little from drinking the past few days. "The salted pork is particularly good."

"Salted pork?" Gimli questioned, his mouth was sure to be watering at the sound of that. He must not have had something good to eat in a few days.

"Hobbits!" Gandalf scoffed, rolling his eyes at us and Gimli. I merely smiled at our guests.

"We're under orders from Treebeard, who's taken over management of Isenguard." I responded with a smile.

"Come on down from there now." Gandalf ordered us.

We reluctantly left our picnic behind us, sadly the ale as well. Following Gandalf's order we climbed down into the water. Only to be picked back up and placed on the back of Aragorn's and Saffron's horses. I sit behind Saffron, with my arms wrapped around her waist.

"I take it the forest wasn't too scary." She said with a smile, looking over her shoulder back at me.

"Well, we made it out alive and with new friends." I replied. "Deirdre is safe here, you know. We saw her the other day."

Saffron fell silent, nodding her head instead of responding to what I told her. I would have thought she would be happy to know that Deirdre was all right, after all they were as close of friends as Pippin and I.

**Deirdre's POV**

I had been summoned to meet with Saruman again today. He was beginning to get desperate for an idea to escape this. And every time that he called me to speak, I gave him the same response that I had no idea. I strode into Saruman's study, and the doors to the balcony were open once more. He turned around when the door shut behind me. Wormtongue peeled himself away from the shadows, walking into the main part of the room.

"You summoned me?" I asked Saruman, my voice coming out blandly.

"It seems that we have company." He replied, walking from his balcony back into the study. "You're old friends are here."

I frowned, feigning confusion as to why they were here. Inside my head, there was a little Deirdre doing cartwheels.

"What do you suggest we do, my lord?" I questioned, my face held no curiosity however.

"You shall stay by my side during negotiations as we attempt to reason why they have come." Saruman ordered, his voice taking on the same authoritative tone that he used so much.

I nodded my head. The voice of Aragorn carried to us, ordering Saruman to come out onto the balcony. Saruman turned back to the balcony, and walked back out into the light. I glanced over at Wormtongue who looked a little anxious about what he was supposed to be doing. I motioned with my head for him to come with us. Then turned and walked out onto the balcony myself.

The light was blinding for a moment, my eyes snapped shut involuntarily. Hesitantly, I opened them once more, continuing my stride forward to look out over the flooded Isenguard. Surely enough, there on horseback was the party from Rohan. I managed to keep the grin off my face and kept a neutral expression.

"You have fought many wars and slain many men, Theoden King and made peace afterwards. Can we not take counsel together as we once did, my old friend?" Saruman attempted to persuade the king.

I glanced down uncaringly at Theoden, attempting to avoid meeting the stares of my friends. I knew that if I looked them in the eyes then I would lose my emotionless façade and life would get a lot more dangerous for the short time that Saruman would still be alive.

"We shall have peace." Theoden said, making it sound as though he was going to agree. "We shall have peace when you answer for the burning of the Westfold and the children that lie dead there! We shall have piece when the lives of the soldiers whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornburg are avenged. When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows… we shall have peace."

During his speech, I had moved so that I was sitting on the narrow ledge of the balcony. My right foot was resting upon the ledge in front of me and my left dangling down within the safety of the balcony. I covered my mouth with on my hands as Theoden spoke, hiding the grin that formed as I watched Saruman's face darken.

"Gibbets and Crows! Dotard." Saruman insulted, he then turned his attention to Gandalf. "What do you want, Gandalf Greyhame? Let me guess… the key of Orthanc? Or perhaps the key of Barad-dur itself? Along with the crowns of the seven kings and the rods of the five wizards!"

"Your treachery has already cost many lives. Thousands more are still at risk. But you could save them, Saruman. You were deep within the enemy's council." Gandalf plead with the evil wizard.

"So you have come here for information? I have some for you." Saruman spoke darkly, holding before him the palantir. He held the dark orb before him, and dropped it into the water below with a splash. "Something festers in the heart of Middle Earth. Something that you have failed to see, but the great Eye has seen it! Even now he presses his advantage. His attack will come soon."

With Saruman's sneering words, my hand dropped from my face. Gandalf rode forward to better speak with Saruman. I did something I never would have done before. I held my hand out, checking my nails for dirt.

"You are all going to die! But you know this, don't you Gandalf? You cannot think that this Ranger will ever sit upon the throne of Gondor. This exile, crept from the shadows will never be king."

Saruman fixed his glare upon me at the end of his declaration. Apparently, he was a little upset about the fact that Aragorn was still alive. I merely shrugged my shoulders slightly. He looked away from me and down at Aragorn.

"Gandalf does not hesitate to sacrifice those who are closest to him… those he professes to love." Saruman sneered then looked back at Gandalf. "Tell me, what words of comfort did you offer the Halfling before you sent him to his doom? The path that you have set him on will only lead to death!"

"I've had enough of this! Shoot him! Stick an arrow in his gob!" Gimli's voice roared from below us, I managed to suppress a smile at his impatience.

"No!" Gandalf bellowed to him, turning his attention back to Saruman. "Come down, Saruman, and your life will be spared."

"Save your pity and your mercy! I have no use for it!" Saruman returned with a cruel smile.

I watched him aim his staff at Gandalf, a bolt of fire shooting out of the end. The flames erupted around Gandalf, consuming every visible inch of the wizard. But after but a moment, the flames dissipated and Gandalf reappeared to our sight untouched by the flames.

"Saruman, your staff is broken!" Gandalf said in response to the flame.

Just as Gandalf had said, the staff that was in Saruman's hands cracked and shattered. Chunks falling off and to the ground, he dropped the broken remnants of the staff onto the floor of the balcony. I glanced back to the doorway, in time to see Wormtongue slinking ever closer. He must have gotten within sight of the party below.

"Grima! You need not follow him! You were not always as you are now. You were once a man of Rohan!" Theoden called up to Wormtongue.

The dark, sniveling man looked hopeful at the words of the King. Thinking for just a second that just maybe, he wouldn't be doomed to servitude for Saruman. But his hope was quickly shattered.

"A man of Rohan?" Saruman sneered, disgusted at the notion. "What is the house of Rohan but a thatched barn where brigands drink in the reek and their brats roll on the floor with the dogs? The victory at Helm's Deep does not belong to you Theoden. You are a lesser son of greater sires!"

I did have to hand it to him, he wasn't bad at insulting people, as he had effectively pissed off the King of Rohan. Unfortunately for Saruman, it wasn't a wise idea to insult people who could kill you, especially when you had no power. Saruman was lucky though, as Theoden shook off his insults and remained focused on Wormtongue.

"Grima… come down! Be free of them!" Theoden called once more.

I wasn't sure if I should be angry or grateful that Theoden had included me. I was angry because I was being grouped with Saruman, which obvious wasn't a good thing. But, Theoden was the first one to actually say something about my presence.

"Free? He will never be free!" Saruman declared in an authoritative voice.

Wormtongue frowned when he heard Saruman say this, obviously not wanting to be stuck here forever. Saruman turned to look at the approaching Wormtongue, smacking him and sending him to the floor.

"Get down, cur!" Saruman growled at Wormtongue.

"Saruman! You were deep within the enemy's council. Tell us what you know." Gandalf demanded once more.

Saruman turned back around to face Gandalf. But as soon as he had, Wormtongue rose back up. He reached back into the study, grabbing a knife and holding it in his hand.

"You withdraw your guard and I will tell you where your doom will be decided. I will not be held prisoner here!" Saruman spat out indignantly.

No, he would not be. As Wormtongue took the knife and drove it into Saruman's back and then again. Shock was on Saruman's face, he fell forward hitting the railing of the balcony. An arrow flew and slew Wormtongue, who fell backwards gasping his last breaths. Saruman was falling over the railing now, barely holding onto the railing with all his remaining strength. I dropped my right foot, letting it dangle over the water, so that I was straddling the ledge. Meeting eyes with Saruman, he looked shocked at me.

"You said that we would succeed." He stated desperately.

"I forgot to tell you one more thing." I said, leaning forward so that I was close to Saruman. "I lied."

His eyes went wide. I blew in his face and he flinched back away from me. But in doing so, he lost his grip on the railing and fell down. I watched as his form struck one of the wheels below, impaling itself on the spikes. With the added weight, the wheel spun, dropping his corpse down into the underground labyrinth that no longer held the fires of his war industry.

I looked back down at the party below, they must have been shocked by the turn of events. I had to say, I was glad that I had lived up here. Considering that everyone else who stood on the balcony with me moments before was dead.

"Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your long hair!" I heard Saffy call up to me.

I grinned hearing her, amused that she was making a fairy tale reference. I took a lock of my hair in my hands and examined it before me, then looked back down at her.

"Alas! My sweet Prince Charming, my wicked witch of a mother has sheared my head, in fear that you would come and find me." I called back down, then a grin appeared on my face. "How about I just open the door?"

"That could work too!" she yelled back up at me.

Grinning, I hopped off of the ledge of the balcony and walked back through the doors to the study. I practically ran down the stairs to the bottom of Orthanc. I threw the door open and let the light in. The water came up to the top steps of the entrance, but I paid it no heed as I raced out to see my friends.

Saffy was the one waiting for me, she quickly dismounted her horse as soon as I was outside and left Merry upon the saddle. We both ran to each other and I wrapped my arms around her in a tackling movement. She stumbled backwards from the force, but impressively managed to stay upright. My eyes were filled with tears, I had missed my best friend so much. I vaguely heard the conversation between Gandalf and Pippin, who had just found the palantir. But I wasn't too very interested.

"I missed you so much." I told her, my eyes still watering slightly.

"I missed you too, darling." She replied. "But I have one question for you."

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to know?"

"Where are the other five thousand Uruk-hai?" she asked me, deadly serious.

I noticed that all the others were listening in on this, staring at me. I couldn't blame them if they didn't trust me. After all, to them it must have looked like I was working with Saruman. And not sabotaging him.

"Oh that's simple." I said with a smile.

***End Chapter 23***

There it is. Hope you enjoy that and I will try to have the next chapter up reasonably quick.

Read and Review.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 24***

**Deirdre's POV**

"They're dead." I informed them simply. "Somewhere in the underground labyrinth, though with the water I'm not entirely sure where they are."

"There are five thousand dead Uruk-hai underground?" Theoden asked me, shocked.

"Yep." I replied cheerily. "I talked Saruman into wiping out half of his army."

I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. It had been so long since I had been able to smile freely, and truly be myself. I was taking as much advantage of it as possible.

"You will have to explain how you managed to do that." Gandalf said, his tone was serious but there was some amusement in his eyes.

"Of course, but I think that maybe we should be heading back to Edoras now, unless you want to rest here for the night." I offered, sure it wasn't technically mine. But I was the only one left alive in Orthanc so I didn't see a problem.

"Who are you?" Theoden asked me harshly.

"Oh, apologies," I curtsied, bowing my head respectfully to Theoden. "I'm Deirdre, my lord."

The king looked over me skeptically, obviously not trusting me. But I guess I passed his inspection, as he nodded his head at me. I rose from my curtsy.

"I am King Theoden of Rohan." He informed me. "And this is Eomer, Captain of the Rohirrim."

I nodded my head as an acknowledgement of Eomer's title. He curtly nodded in return to me. His face remained impassive, while I was smiling on a massive scale.

"So would you like to stay the night in Orthanc?" I questioned. "There are a surprising amount of rooms."

"I'm afraid not, Deirdre. There is need to return to Edoras with haste." Gandalf interjected, before the King could say anything.

"Of course," I nodded my head. "I'll just collect Wormtongue's horse and my swords, unless one of you happened to grab them?"

I doubted any of them had actually grabbed my swords, but then I saw the glint of my dual blades at Legolas' waist. I smiled at him, meeting eyes for the first time with the elf that I loved. But my heart ached when he quickly looked away from me, my smile faded for the first time. But I quickly readjusted my face, smiling. I was happy that my friends were here, but Legolas' reaction to me was anything but encouraging.

I rushed to the stables, which were thankfully mostly waterproof and right next to the storeroom. I collected the horse that I had seen Wormtongue arrive on, it was also the only horse in the stable, so I thought it a pretty good indication. I fastened the saddle quickly, leading the horse out of the stable and peering quickly into the storeroom. It was completely ransacked, there was little to no usable food inside, apparently the hobbits had really gone to town on the storeroom.

"That is a horse of Rohan." Theoden observed when I arrived back at the group on horseback.

"Yes, Wormtongue arrived on this horse. I felt it was time that it was returned to its proper home." I replied quietly, I didn't want the king to hate me.

"Deirdre," Gandalf called from his place at the edge of the group. "Ride with me. I would like to hear about your time here in Isenguard."

I nodded my head and moved over to where the wizard was, with that we moved out of my personal prison and on to the freedom that was Edoras. As soon as we started riding, Gandalf began his interrogation.

"How did you convince Saruman to kill half his army?" was his first question, he wasn't pussyfooting around.

"I made up that if he sent the whole force that half would return and take Isenguard from him, and that his army needed training. This 'training' would be killing another Uruk-hai in a one-on-one battle. They weren't too hard to kill, were they?" I asked worriedly.

"No, quite the opposite." Aragorn replied from his place behind me in the group.

"Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid that I was hurting your chances." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"So you had something to do with the army that attacked Helm's Deep and killed so many of my men." Theoden practically growled.

"With respect, if I hadn't have been in Isenguard and talked Saruman into halving his army, many more of your men would be dead right now." I replied, wanting the king to understand where I was coming from.

The king nodded his head once sharply, understanding but he still didn't like it. Gandalf continued his interrogation though.

"And how did you convince Saruman that you were trustworthy?"

"I kind of told him that if he sent the Warg riders that they would kill Aragorn." I said looking down, my eyes quickly traveled over to Aragorn. "Sorry about that, by the way. It was going to happen anyway. But I still feel bad for taking credit for that, so sorry."

Aragorn shut his eyes and shook his head with a small laugh. Apparently, he wasn't too mad at me for what I had done.

"How did you know that it would happen?" Eomer asked.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag." I said quietly. "Saffron and I aren't exactly from around here. We are from another world. That has everything that happens here in books that people read for entertainment."

"So you know the future?" Pippin enquired curiously.

"Yeah, pretty much." I replied. "Though I don't know the effects of Saffy and I's actions."

"That's so cool. Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Merry asked.

"Well, Elrond kind of suggested that we didn't. And if we did than you all probably would have wanted to know what was going to happen. Which could make you act differently, which could result in a change of events, and could potentially change the future."

"So instead, you kept this from us?" Legolas stated coldly.

"I was just trying to make sure everything happened the way that it should, so that we could win this war." I replied quietly, my voice coming out childlike.

Legolas refused to meet my gaze, instead he focused on the path before him. As we moved through the trees of Fangorn forest, I felt guilt rise up inside of me. Even though it had seemed the best way to help them at the time, maybe my idea wasn't the best.

"Did Saruman tell you of any of the plans for after Helm's Deep?" Gandalf questioned.

"No," I replied. "But I know I was supposed to go to Mordor."

Legolas snorted at this, my eyes lowered once again. I didn't want to cry because of the way that he was acting, but it was rather hard not to. Maybe later tonight, when we had broken for camp we would have a chance to talk.

"Right, because you were going to be Sauron's whore." Legolas barked out, my mouth dropped as he said that.

"That was never going to happen." I growled out lowly, my sadness and shock was turning into anger.

"Deirdre, what does he mean?" Gandalf asked insistently.

"Saruman had me speak with Sauron through the palantir. Sauron told me that after the Uruk-hai took Helm's Deep, that I was to kill Saruman. Then, if I should prove my 'loyalty' to him, when he had his form back he would make me his bride and I would help him rule over Middle Earth." I explained, disgusted with the words coming from my mouth. But I had to tell them.

"He wanted to take you for his bride?" Gandalf questioned.

"Apparently, he said that Saruman's worth would be used up after Rohan fell. And that I would make a better partner in destroying freedom in Middle Earth than Saruman would." I replied quietly, though the disgust was still there.

Everyone around me was quiet, there was no comment from the hobbits. Not even Saffy was willing to say anything. My stomach was churning throughout the silence, my nerves were beginning to get the better of me.

"Interesting," Gandalf commented, breaking the eerie silence. "It seems that Sauron is confident that he will succeed in taking control of Middle Earth."

The group fell silent, no one felt very talkative. We continued riding until darkness fell, although it was somewhat hard to tell when it was dark out, as we were in the middle of Fangorn.

"We will make camp here for the night." Theoden declared as we stopped in a clearing.

Everyone dismounted and began setting up the campsite. I unrolled a bedroll and sat away from most of the group, as it didn't seem that many people wanted to talk to me right now. A fire was lit, and Saffy called me over to sit with her and Nimiwen. The hobbits sat near us, thankfully they weren't too mad at me. Aragorn offered me a small smile from his place on the other side of the fire. The only ones who were avoiding me were Theoden, Eomer, and Legolas. As the night wears on a little, the hobbits retire for the night. As do Saffy and Nimiwen, who are curling up together. Both Aragorn and Gandalf sit by the fire, smoking on their pipes. Snores echo out from the sleeping Gimli and both of the Rohinians have retired for the night.

A quick glance around shows me that Legolas is sitting away from the rest of the group, still awake. His eyes blink occasionally, which is my only sign that he is awake. I rise from my seat by the fire and walk over to Legolas. He looks up at me blankly, as though I don't matter. It is the same look that I wore through most of my time at Isenguard.

"Can we talk?" I asked him quietly.

He nodded his head and got up from his seat, he began walking away into the darkness of the trees. I followed after him, wanting a little privacy for this conversation as well. I was incredibly grateful that I was an elf, considering that I could see rather well in the dark. He stopped relatively quickly, making sure that we were just out of hearing range for the camp.

"What do you need to say?" he questioned coldly.

"How long are you going to be mad at me?" my tone was quiet and sad.

"I'm not so much angry, as I feel betrayed."

"Legolas, I would never betray you. I only left be—"

"You left because you wanted to. You knew that I was coming for you. That I would be there to save you. And yet you still left."

"Legolas," I tried once more, but he cut me off again.

"Don't. I can't trust you." He told me simply. "You could lie and get away with it to Saruman's face, for days on end. How can I trust someone like that?"

"But, Legolas I've ne-"

"Don't Deirdre. Just stop."

He looked at me sadly then reached down to his waist. He unfastened the belt which carried my swords this whole time. He shoved the belt and swords into my hands, my hands didn't want to function right.

"Why won't you just listen to me?" I asked in a pleading voice.

"Because, I can't trust you." He told me flatly. "Why couldn't you have just stayed behind and waited for me?"

"Because it wasn't what I needed to do. It may have been what I wanted to—"

"Why can't you be more like Saffron?" he almost yelled.

I stopped, I was tired of him cutting me off. I was tired of him not believing me. And I couldn't stand that he had just said that. I was my own person, not a copy of my best friend. My sadness and guilt turned to anger.

"If you wanted to court someone more like Saffron, then maybe you should have courted her." I spat out at him, my anger bubbling over.

We began to build anger off of one another, with every comment my temper rose.

"I don't know why I didn't. Maybe I should have."

"Yeah. Maybe you should have. So why didn't you?" I sneered.

"Because you were easier." He snarled, his voice coming out angrier than I had ever heard.

"You are such a bastard." I growled back at him, but my voice was steadily rising. "You know what, I'm glad I went to Isenguard. Because I finally learned how you really are."

"Maybe you should have stayed at Isenguard. I'm sure that you know all about your precious Sauron." He yelled at me.

I saw nothing but red. I couldn't believe he was actually saying this to me. A small part of me inside that had remained sane was sobbing, but that part was ignored. I continued on my path of anger.

"I would gladly go to Sauron if it meant that I didn't have to spend another minute with you!" I yelled back at him.

"Then why don't you go?" he shouted.

"I'm so out of here!" I screamed at him, turning away from him and storming off into the trees.

"Good riddance!" I heard him yell once more at me.

I walked off into the trees until I thought he was far enough away. My anger changed from being directed at Legolas to being directed at myself. I slammed my fist into the nearest tree. Pain erupted up my wrist, but it didn't faze me in the slightest. I punched the tree once more, I felt that my fist was now wet with blood. I continued to pound my fist into the tree, the pain bringing the tears to my eyes that I didn't want to bring up for Legolas. Sometime during the punching, there was a crack. But I kept slamming my fist into the tree, losing track of how many times I had smashed my fist. I began to lose track of how many times I heard a resounding crack. I wasn't even sure if it was my fist or the tree anymore. Finally, I collapsed to the base of the tree in a pile of sobbing teenager.

I cried for the pain in my hand, I cried for the pain in my heart, I cried because I was angry, and I cried about Legolas. But mostly, my tears were for the track that was running in my head, saying that no one wanted me, that I would always be alone. That it was amazing that Legolas had put up with me this long. I fell deeper and deeper into despair.

"Deirdre?" A familiar voice asked hesitantly. "Deirdre, are you well?"

I looked up behind me, standing there worried was Aragorn. I held my hand up to show him the bloody mass. His eyes widened at the sight of it.

"I think I hurt my hand." I told him in a voice close to tears.

He smiled at me sadly then he reached down and picked up my swords. Apparently I had left them on the ground next to me. I wasn't sure how Aragorn had found me, but at this point I didn't care.

"Come on, let's get that taken care of." He calmly coaxed me.

I nodded my head and rose from my place on the ground. He led me back to camp, it was much longer than I thought it had been. We arrived in the camp to find that everyone was asleep. I suppose it was Aragorn's turn to take watch, and he had left the camp to come and find me.

We sat down next to the fire. He looked at my hand and winced when he saw the damage in the firelight. To say that my hand looked like it had been abused by a meat tenderizer would have been an understatement. He took his water skin and poured some of the water onto my hand, gently washing away the blood, dirt, and the occasional piece of tree. He stood up, only to bring his healing kit over to the fire and sat back down taking my hand once more.

"What happened?" he asked me cautiously.

"I punched a tree."

"You punched a tree? And this is the result?" he questioned, shocked that punching the tree had done this much damage to my hand.

"I may have punched it more than once." My voice came out flatly.

"What would drive you to punch one of the trees in Fangorn?" he asked, he must have been amazed I was still alive.

"Can we not talk about that right now?" my voice shook. I sounded on the brink of tears, and I suppose I was.

"You should talk to someone about it." He told me. "If you like, I can wake Saffron up for you."

"No," I snapped, not wanting to ruin the peace that my friend had. "She doesn't need to wake up. She and Nimiwen are so happy, I don't want to ruin that."

"Still, you need to talk to someone. It's not healthy for you to punch trees, especially not the trees of Fangorn."

"I know." I muttered.

He continued to work on my hand we fell silent for a few minutes. He seemed to be contemplating what had caused me to injury myself to such an extent.

"I think you may have broken it." He commented.

"That would explain the cracking sounds."

"Did you continue to punch the tree after you heard the cracks?" he asked, horrified by this.

"Yeah, I think so." I responded emotionlessly.

He sighed and took a bandage from him pack and carefully wrapped it around my hand. Pain continued to throb through my hand, but I didn't give into the temptation to gasp in pain. It was my pain to bear, and I would bear it in silence. When he was done, he took my uninjured right hand and dragged me over to his bedroll. Then he walked over and grabbed mine, bringing it over to his as well.

"You need to talk about what upset you." He almost ordered.

I sighed and nodded my head, he sat down on his bedroll and I followed suit. I didn't want to talk about what had happened because I knew I would end up crying.

"I got into a fight with Legolas." I said simply, to which he nodded his head. "And I said some things that I didn't mean."

With encouragement from Aragorn, who was surprisingly good at this, I told him the entire story. When the tears began rolling down my cheeks, Aragorn comforted me. He rocked me to sleep, and my tears had stained his shirt by the time that I was unconscious. I was vaguely aware that I had fallen asleep lying against his chest, as the tears had continued to roll even as I fell asleep.

The next morning, my eyes focused to find most everyone was awake. The only one who remained asleep in fact, was Gimli. I recognized the familiar feeling of being asleep on a man's chest. But as my memory flooded back to me, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Yes, Aragorn was an incredibly attractive man. However, he was going to be marrying Arwen and the person who I really wished I was curled up with was Legolas.

I made a small noise of disappointment and pulled away from Aragorn. He was slightly groggy still, probably just waking up. I moved away from him quite a bit, then rose from my bedroll. My face was still a little stiff from crying the previous night and my hand sent a signal pain up to my brain. I winced a little and looked down at it. The bandaging was done quite well, it was almost impossible to see the beat up parts of my hand beneath it.

"Morning," Saffy commented cheerily, happy to see that I was awake.

"Morning," I replied in a dead tone.

Even though I was glad that Saffy wasn't mad at me, I still felt broken inside. I noticed that she was eating along with the other people in the small camp. Nausea filled me. I turned away from the group eating the food and began rolling up my bedroll.

"Breakfast is ready, Di." Saffy told me.

"I'm not hungry." I told her flatly, I tried to give her a reassuring smile but it didn't work.

She frowned when she looked at me, she must have known something was wrong. Her eyes travelled over to my hand, the one that was covered in a bandage and was beginning to bleed through slightly.

"Di?" she questioned worriedly.

I put on a fake smile, trying to show her that I was fine. She wasn't buying it though. This had happened before. I had felt dead inside, and stopped eating for a few days. She must have caught on that it was happening again.

I ignored her worried looks. Instead I packed up all of my things. We moved out quickly, leaving behind our campsite in Fangorn, along with the drops of blood that I had left against that tree. The day passed slowly and quietly, Saffy would try and talk to me but my responses were always short and neutral. She was getting more concerned with every flat response.

Edoras came into sight at early evening. There was a blonde woman standing outside of the main hall, her hair and dress was blowing in the wind. We arrived in Edoras and our horses were taken to the stables. Saffy led me and Nimiwen over to the blonde woman, who I guessed to be Eowyn.

"Eowyn, this is Deirdre." Saffy introduced me to the woman.

"Hello there, I am glad to hear that you have returned from Isenguard." Eowyn said courteously, apparently Saffy had told her about my stay in Isenguard.

"I'm glad to return to kind people as well." I responded, I was trying to sound happy but my voice still sounded dead.

"Eowyn, there is going to be a feast tonight, isn't there?" Saffy asked her, clarifying this.

"Yes. But you will all need to change. Those clothes are not fit for a celebration." Eowyn commented kindly. "Come on, I'll take you to the guest rooms."

Eowyn led us to the rooms where we could prepare for the night and even returned with dresses for the feast tonight. I thanked her and began preparing for the celebration. After my bath, I fastened my corset and dressed, then sat down and brushed my hair out. There was a knock at the door and I walked over, opening it for whoever was on the other side.

Standing before me was Saffy in a dress for the celebration tonight, her hair hung down straight and loose. She came into the room, taking a seat on the bed. I turned around and walked over to her, she pulled me down beside her.

"What's wrong?" she asked me worriedly.

"Legolas and I fought." I replied in my dead tone.

"Start talking." Saffy ordered me.

So I did, I told her everything. About all the words that had passed between me and Legolas, about how I broke my hand punching the tree, and how Aragorn found and bandaged me up. All the while, she sat listening waiting for me to finish before saying anything.

"When was the last time that you ate?" she enquired.

"Not since the night after the Ents attacked." I responded.

"Di, that was almost four days ago."

"I suppose it was." I answered in an empty tone.

"I'm getting you something to eat." She said, rising from her place beside me and heading out of the room.

I stayed on the bed, not having the energy or motivation to move. Instead, I just laid back against the bed, shutting my eyes. The door swung shut once more when Saffy returned. She put a tankard of liquid down on the table beside the bed and handed me an entire thing of Lembas bread. If supposedly Lembas bread could fill a grown man's stomach with only one bite, then one bite would be all I needed for now. I took a bite out of the Lembas bread. It felt heavy in my mouth. I chewed the bread and swallowed, even though it felt like a lump going down my throat. Then I took a swig of the liquid, it turned out to only be water. I was looking forward to going to the celebration tonight there would be a large amount of alcohol there.

"What are you going to do?" she questioned, she sounded so worried about me.

"Not sure. Probably wait and see how it all plays out." I said despairingly.

"Well, let's get you ready for the celebration tonight."

"Shouldn't you be with Nimiwen?"

"She can live without me for a little while. Come on, we're doing your hair." She ordered.

I sat down at the vanity and let her do two braids running down the sides of my head. In the same style that I had worn so long ago when we had gone to the council. The style I had insisted upon wearing so that I looked like a warrior, but I didn't feel it much right now. It was also the same style that Legolas wore, and that hurt the most. When she was done, she patted my shoulders. Then she backed away towards the door.

"Come on. We have a feast to attend." Saffy said as cheerily as possible.

***End Chapter 24***

Read and Review please. Serrah needs inspiration to finish the next chapter. XD


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: As always, I own nothing.

***Chapter 25***

**Deirdre's POV**

"Tonight we remember those who gave their lives to defend this country." Theoden proclaimed as he raised his goblet in a toast. "Hail the victorious dead!"

"Hail!" I said along with all the others in the hall.

Aragorn and Gandalf had talked Theoden into allowing me to attend the celebration. Their argument had been that I had saved many lives by killing half of the army that would have come to slaughter the people of Rohan, for that I was rewarded by being accepted into the feast. Theoden still wasn't the happiest with me, but he at least was willing to accept that I had helped his people.

So now I sat, with Saffy and Nimiwen to one side and the hobbits to the other. I took a swig of my wine, drinking the toast to the fallen warriors. Saffy tried to press me to eat once more, but I merely shook my head.

"Di, you need to eat." She attempted to persuade me.

"I'm still full from the Lembas bread." I replied plainly, my nausea had returned at the sight and scent of the food.

"Fine." She huffed at me. "But you are eating tomorrow."

I shrugged my shoulders, not agreeing but knowing it would get her off my case for a while longer. I chugged the remains of my wine, followed by an angry glare at the inside of the glass. What I wouldn't give to be a lightweight right now. I set the glass back down on the table, my eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Then I pushed up from the table, earning me a look of confusion from Saffy.

"Where are you going?" she questioned, concern was evident in her tone.

"To get something a little stronger than wine." I replied, the first hint of a smile in my eyes.

Worried passed over her face but she must have realized that I wasn't going to change my mind anytime soon. I only hoped that she wouldn't worry too much about me tonight and enjoy the celebration with Nimiwen. Personally, my plan for the evening involved getting shit-faced. I wandered over to where there were great barrels of ale. I filled a tankard and downed the barley-based drink. I wrinkled my nose at the taste, not really enjoying either the taste or the odor coming off it. But, the desire to kill pain in any possible way won out, as I refilled my tankard and downed it once more. Thankfully, the liquid wasn't quite as vile the second time. As I was filling the tankard for a third time, I was approached by some of the men of Rohan. The man in front had a great smile on his face as he neared me.

"I see you have taken a liking to the ale." He commented, grinning as he watched me drink once more.

"Works as a sufficient pain-killer." I commented dryly, raising my left hand slightly to show them. Followed by another drink of my ale, I was taking more time with this drink.

"Care to enter into a drinking game then?" he questioned with a smirk.

"Why not?" I questioned almost absent mindedly.

Not exactly sure why that just happened or how it led to this, but I was sitting at a table with several of the soldiers of Rohan while another man began filling tankards. I guess the men just wanted to watch a woman fail at drinking, it would be entertaining to watch. However, I had one thing on my side that they didn't know about. I had good strong drinking blood flowing through my veins, a lovely mixture of Scottish and Irish. Sure, there was some other nationalities mixed throughout, but it definitely gave me a bit of an advantage.

As the contest got going, more people began to circle around us. Several men were now filling the tankards to supply our group. Within the first three drinks at the table a man or two excused themselves from the contest, I figured that they had already started drinking prior to joining. But as the number of tankards that I downed piled, I grew greatly confused. It was about the point where I had drank six full tankards during the game alone, the other three not included, that I was wondering why I was not being affected by the drink. On my seventh tankard the thought struck me, it must have been an elf thing. After all, Legolas could best Gimli in a drinking contest.

My mood which had slowly been rising with the alcohol consumption fell once more. The idea that I could simply drink away any pain was not going to work it seemed. As the tankards continued to pile up, reaching about fifteen per person at least, some of the men began to fall. The noise erupted even louder, everyone around was enjoying watching the drinkers make fools of themselves.

"Looks like the maid can handle a few drinks." I heard one soldier shout out, laughing as he did so.

"It's going to take more than this to knock me down, darlin'." I replied with a laugh, slipping back into my old habit of calling everyone darling.

Merry and Pippin popped up within the next two tankards, great smiles on their faces. I smiled back at them, it seemed that the ale was definitely improving my mood. They cheered me on, while most everyone else cheered for the men of Rohan. Another of the men dropped, falling backwards from the table and crashing to the floor with a great thud. Laughter ensued as people lifted the now unconscious man from the floor and dragged him off. I could feel my head getting lighter with the effects of the ale, but I wasn't going to give up when there was only two more men competing.

"Come on, lads. You can beat a woman." One man called in an attempt to encourage the men who were still drinking.

One of the two remaining men laughed, while the other fell backwards after drinking his twenty-second tankard. I laughed as he was hauled off as well, a smile was constantly on my face at this point. The last man pointed at me from his place across the table.

"Why don't you just give up now? After all, we both know I'm going to win." He said with slurred words.

"Where's the fun in that?" I questioned, my words were barely slurred. I raised my tankard up into the air in a toast. "To victory!"

He crashed his tankard against mine and we both downed our tankards. With the next offered tankard, he raised his glass with a smile.

"To Rohan!" he cried out, earning a cheer from everyone around.

We knocked our tankards together, and once again downed the liquid. I was rather impressed that we both had lasted this long. I was actually beginning to like the taste of ale, which probably meant I was getting fairly drunk.

"To Ale!" I shouted as my next toast.

We continued back and forth, each making a toast before downing our drinks. I was running out of things to toast, so I called out "To Hobbits!"

This earned me a cheer from Merry and Pippin and a laugh from the rest of the men around. The other man moved to clink our tankards together, but he must have lost his balance, as he missed my tankard and instead fell backward falling unconscious. I stood up from my seat, stumbling a little, and glanced down at the man on the ground to the other side.

Cheers went up as I chugged one more tankard and slammed it down on the table. Both Merry and Pippin climbed up on the table and grabbed my hands. I gave a shout when my left hand was grabbed, it was quickly released.

"Join us, Deirdre." Pippin encouraged, he and Merry were both standing on the table with tankards in their hands.

"Yes, Deirdre. Sing with us." Merry tried.

"I don't think we know any of the same drinking songs." I called up to them, a smile on my face.

"Fine, but you're singing after us." Was the only response I was given.

_You can search far and wide._

_You can drink the whole town dry. _

_But you'll never find a beer so brown, _

_But you'll never find a beer so brown,_

_As the one we drink in our home town._

_As the one we drink in our home town._

_You can drink your fancy ales,_

_You can drink 'em by the flagon._

_But the only brew for the brave and true…_

The hobbits sang, dancing around and causing laughter all down the long banquet table. The men sitting on the sides clapped their hands along with the dancing and singing hobbits and moved their drinks out of the way. Pippin paused for a moment in the dance, staring intently at Gandalf for a second.

"Pippin!" Merry practically scolded, causing Pippin to return to their song.

_Comes from the Green Dragon!_

As the two finished, they slammed their tankards together and downed their entire drinks in one go. Everyone around laughed and clapped for the two hobbits. However, I was apparently not safe. As I was hauled up onto the table by the hobbits, who shoved another tankard of ale into my hands.

"Your turn, Deirdre." Pippin told me with a laugh.

I smirked at them, but began stomping my foot on the table to set up a beat and sang a drinking song quite off-key. But I was smashed enough that I couldn't bring myself to care.

_Sail away where no ball and chain__  
__Can keep us from the roarin' waves__  
__Together undivided but forever we'll be free__  
__So sail away aboard our rig__  
__The moon is full and so are we__  
__We're seven drunken pirates__  
__We're the seven deadly sins___

_So the years rolled by and several died__  
__And left us somewhat reelin'__  
__Johnny strummed his Tommy gun__  
__Left blastin' through the ceiling__  
__So what became of rebels__  
__Who sang for you and me?__  
__Grapplin' with their demons__  
__In the search for liberty___

_Suffers who suffer all__  
__Can swim upon the desert__  
__Where avarice have ravaged all__  
__In spite of good intentions__  
__Don't fill your mouth with gluttony__  
__For pride will surely swell__  
__But nothing's unforgiven in the four corners of hell___

_Sail away where no ball and chain__  
__Can keep us from the roarin' waves__  
__Together undivided but forever we'll be free__  
__So sail away aboard our rig__  
__The moon is full and so are we__  
__We're seven drunken pirates__  
__We're the seven deadly sins__  
__We're seven drunken pirates__  
__We're the seven deadly sins__  
__Envy and its evil twin__  
__It crept in bed with slander__  
__Idiots they gave advice__  
__But sloth it gave no answer__  
__Anger kills the human soul__  
__With butter tales of lust__  
__While pavlov's Dogs keep chewin'__  
__On the legs they never trust___

_Sail away where no ball and chain__  
__Can keep us from the roarin' waves__  
__Together undivided but forever we'll be free__  
__So sail away aboard our rig__  
__The moon is full and so are we__  
__We're seven drunken pirates__  
__We're the seven deadly sins__  
__We're seven drunken pirates__  
__We're the seven deadly sins___

_But It's the only life we'll know__  
__Blagards to the bone__  
__So don't wreck yourself__  
__Take an honest grip__  
__For there's more tales beyond the shore___

_Ah the years rolled by and several died__  
__And left us somewhat reelin'__  
__In and out came crawlin' out__  
__And spewed upon the ceiling__  
__So what became of rebels"__  
__That sang for you and me__  
__Grapplin; with their demons__  
__In the search for liberty___

_Sail away where no ball and chain__  
__Can keep us from the roarin' waves__  
__Together undivided but forever we'll be free__  
__So sail away aboard our rig__  
__The moon is full and so are we__  
__We're seven drunken pirates__  
__We're the seven deadly sins___

_Sail away where no ball and chain__  
__Can keep us from the roarin' waves__  
__Together undivided but forever we'll be free__  
__So sail away aboard our rig__  
__The moon is full and so are we__  
__We're seven drunken pirates__  
__We're the seven deadly sins__  
__We're seven drunken pirates__  
__We're the seven deadly sins__  
__We're seven drunken pirates__  
__We're the seven deadly sins_

The men around cheered and called for an encore. I laughed when they did this and began dancing around on the table once more, drinking as I went. I began to sing a traditional Irish drinking song.

_We'll drink a drink a drink__  
__To Lily the Pink the Pink the Pink__  
__The savior of the human race__  
__She invented medicinal compound__  
__Most efficacious in every case_

___Now here's a story, a little bit gory__  
__A little bit happy, a little bit sad__  
__Of Lily the Pink and her medicinal compound__  
__And how it drove her to the bad__  
__Well Ebenezer thought he was Julius Caesar__  
__So they put him in a home__  
__And then they gave him medicinal compound__  
__And now he's Emperor of Rome._

___We'll drink a drink a drink_

_To Lily the Pink the Pink the Pink_

_The Savior of the human race_

_She invented medicinal compound_

_Most efficacious in every case__  
_

_Freddie Klinger the opera singer__  
__Could break a glass with his voice tis said__  
__Rubbed his tonsils with medicinal compound__  
__Now they break glasses over his head.__  
__Johnny Hammer had a t-t-terrible stammer__  
__He could hardly s-s-say a word__  
__And so they g-g-gave him medicinal compound__  
__Now he's s-s-seen but never heard___

_We'll drink a drink a drink_

_To Lily the Pink the Pink the Pink_

_The savior of the human race_

_She invented medicinal compound_

_Most efficacious in every case___

_Uncle Paul he was very small he__  
__Was the shortest man in town__  
__Rubbed his body with medicinal compound__  
__Now he weighs only half a po-_

However, I didn't succeed in finishing the song. As I was rather drunk and the edge of the table was nearer than I thought that it was. I went tumbling off of the table and was headed straight for the ground when I was caught by someone, who I successfully sent to the ground underneath me. I raised my head from their chest and saw it was Aragorn. He was turning out to be my savior. I couldn't help but smile up at him, before quickly moving off of him.

There was a good deal of laughter behind me, as the men apparently found it hilarious that I had fallen off of the table. I gave Aragorn my hand to help him up, but as I pulled him to his feet I went stumbling backwards into a column.

"I think you're drunk, Deirdre." He commented with a smile.

"Nonsense, I'm Irish." I told him with a grin, only to receive a confused look in return. "An Irishman is ne'er drunk, so long as he can hold onto a single blade of grass and not fall off the face of the earth." My words were slurred, but still carried an Irish brogue as I spoke.

Aragorn laughed at this, as did all the other men around, it seems that I had been talking rather loud. However, my attention was drawn away from the raucous laughter as I saw that I had spilled a half-full tankard of ale when I fell.

"Shit!" I cursed loudly, earning more laughter.

"What is it?" Aragorn questioned with a hint of worry in his tone.

"I spilled my ale." I looked at him with a mortified expression.

He laughed at me once more, I suppose I was rather funny when I was drunk and acting like this.

"You cold hearted man. Don't you know that every drop of liquor that you spill is put into a great vat. And when you die, you get hung upside down into the vat. If you drown, then you go to hell." I practically shrieked, it was another of those old sayings that my parents had taught me.

"Well, let's hope that you haven't spilled too much more then." I heard Saffy say as she approached, she was laughing as well.

"My immortal soul is in danger here, woman." I slurred back at her, causing only more laughter to explode from the people around here.

"I thought that you were going to hell no matter what?" she commented with a laugh.

"Well, I suppose I am." I commented with a grin. "However, if I'm going to survive my elevator ride down, then I'm going to need to drink more."

"Are you planning on dying now?"

"Nope, but I have to start storing it up now." I replied as I began walking back in the direction of the barrels of ale.

However, I tripped on my own feet falling to the ground. I groaned at the pain, but was quickly picked up by someone. I opened my eyes, to find that Aragorn was carrying me. Unfortunately, everything was spinning in a whirl of colors with my eyes open. So I just shut them again, leaning against Aragorn.

"Where are we going?" I questioned him.

"Away from the ale, Deirdre. You are too drunk for your own good." He chuckled.

"No!" I practically shouted, struggling in his arms towards where I thought that the ale was.

My hand was beginning to give the occasional throb of pain, and my mood wasn't as high as when I was drinking. I was really hoping that this intoxicated state would last a good deal of time.

"Come on, let's get you some air." He replied with another light chuckle.

I crossed my arms in front of me and pouted in his arms. But he just continued to walk, carrying me as though I weighed little to nothing. I huffed once and settled more into his arms, deciding that I would just have to wait to be set down if I was going to try and get anything more to drink.

"I don't want air." I griped like a child when I felt the frigid night air encircle me, as he carried me out into the night.

A shiver passed through me, he pulled me a little more into his chest as I did this. He lowered my feet to the ground, but wrapped his arms around my torso. He was attempting to keep me somewhat warm at least, but the cold of the night wasn't really helping. It was then that I noticed just how thin the gown I was wearing was, as well as how windy Edoras was.

"I know it's cold. But if you had stayed in there any longer you would have gotten another drink and passed out." He explained, sounding almost guilty that he was making me so cold.

"For the record, I am not as much of a lightweight as you apparently think. Another drink wouldn't make me pass out." I tried to convince him, but I doubt that the way that I was slurring my words was convincing at all.

"Deirdre, you can't walk without tripping and falling." He commented.

"I can't do that most of the time when I'm sober either." I argued back, causing him to laugh.

"True, but you are quite drunk."

"Yes, but not drunk enough." I replied with a smirk, but it disappeared as I shivered once more.

As much as he was trying to keep me warm with body heat, it wasn't working. Goosebumps had risen and now covered my flesh, and every few moments I would shiver against him, though the warmth that he was providing from where he held me was rather nice.

"Stay out here." He ordered, pulling away from me.

The cold air slamming against the last parts of my skin that were being kept warm, my last bit of warmth was dissipating rapidly. A harsh shiver jerked my body as I tried to suppress it.

"Are you fucking joking?" I slurred angrily. "I'm going to freeze to death."

"No you won't, stop over-exaggerating. I'm going to grab you a cloak." He informed me as he walked back into the hall.

I scowled at the now closed door and wrapped my arms around myself. I gave a short growling noise at the door before moving over toward one of the columns to lean up against. From here, I was somewhat protected from the wind. Though there was one bonus to standing in the cold, at least from Aragorn's point of view, I was beginning to sober up. The only thing that could of have been more efficient would be dunking my head in ice water. _Better not mention that to Aragorn,_ I thought.

Suddenly, the door to the hall opened. I saw the light cast onto the ground from the doorway, but refrained from turning back around. The door shut behind the figure and I could hear the footsteps nearing me.

"Is freezing me punishment for drinking?" I questioned, most of the slurring in my speech was dissipating.

"Why would I be punishing you?" asked a confused voice.

I spun around quickly, which really just meant that I pitched forward again. Thankfully, I was saved from the fate of falling onto my face once more. I was caught by Eomer, who had walked out of the hall.

"Sorry," I slurred a little. "I thought you were Aragorn. He has some strange notion that I shouldn't be drunk."

"Why would he have this idea?" he asked with a chuckle, he obviously hadn't had too much to drink.

"I think it may be because I fell off the table." I replied happily, there was more warmth sinking into me as Eomer's body heat provided me with a little heat.

"That may be a good indication."

He placed me back on my feet, then he began to move away. As a shiver passed through me, I reached out my hand and grabbed Eomer's. He stopped in his movement to look at me, but I moved in close and wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face in his chest.

"Deirdre, I don't think this is entirely appropriate." He spoke deeply, his voice rumbling through his chest and into me.

"Eomer," I stated, causing him to look down at me. "I'm cold. Hugging you gets me some body heat. And since I'm supposed to stay out here until Aragorn gets back with a cloak, I need the warmth."

I was quite impressed with myself for that, I had managed to form a reasonable argument when I was this intoxicated. Then again, the alcohol seemed to be wearing off a little too fast for my liking. I was going to duck back inside and drink a little more, renew the buzz.

"Yes, but your elf friend may not take a liking to this." He replied, there was clearly worry in his tone.

"Currently, I don't give a flying fuck about what Legolas likes or dislikes." I muttered, turning my face into his chest and warming it there.

I guess he gave up arguing with me, as suddenly there were two warm arms wrapped around me. As the heat began to fill me, I released a contented sigh.

"You're warm." I informed him.

"Actually, I was getting a little cold." He chuckled. "Why does Aragorn want you to remain out here?"

"To keep me away from that wonderful ale." I grumbled into his chest.

"How much did you have to drink?" he asked with a laugh.

I shrugged my shoulders, then took a moment to think about it. Sometime during the contest I had lost count, and then I had that tankard afterward. I truly didn't have an idea how much exactly I had had to drink.

"Dunno, I lost count somewhere in the twenties." I replied lightly.

"You are full of surprises." He said with a single short laugh.

"I don't know why no one thinks I can hold my liquor. I may be small, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm a lightweight."

"No, you most definitely aren't a lightweight at all. You drank more than most grown men could."

I pulled away, thinking that he had made a comment about my age. It had bothered me slightly over the years that I was always the youngest in my group of friends, even when it was only by around a year. What was worse was that everyone forgot that I was younger, and while normally my acting more adult was a plus, this meant that they would mention things I couldn't do because I was too young. Don't get me wrong, I don't go around complaining about how much younger I am than everybody else, and it only really comes up on occasion. But it must have had something to do with the alcohol and the poor mood that I had been when I started drinking.

"I'm not that young." I retorted with a pout. "In fact, I'm almost entirely considered an adult."

Eomer looked down at me, smirking when he saw me pouting about age. I suppose it was a little contradictory, but when I kept the pout in place he laughed. Now my pout turned into a slight frown as my eyebrows furrowed.

"Don't laugh at me." I complained, playfully smacking him on the arm.

"I'm not." He swore in his defense. "It's only that you are pouting about being treated like you are young."

I turned my back to him, but with the cold air decided to lean back against him. His arms wrapped around me once more. I was glad that he was doing that, as the likelihood of my falling over right now was rather high.

"How old are you?" he questioned, he had leaned down so that I would be able to hear him better.

"I'm seventeen. But I'm going to be eighteen in about a month or so. Or I would have been." I ended sadly.

"Why wouldn't you be now?" he asked, worry came into his voice about the sadness in my response.

"Well, I was only a little under a month away from my birthday when I died. Then I woke up here and it will be months now until my birthday."

"You died?" he questioned shocked.

"Yes, apparently because I came to middle earth I died back home."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be. I didn't even know that I was dead at home until Saffy got here. She was still back home when they found my body. So if it hadn't been for her telling me, I wouldn't have known. Besides, it doesn't really bother me."

"But you can never go back home." He reasoned.

"True, but I feel like I belong here. Like maybe, I could do something to help people. Stop some of the pain. I know I wouldn't be able to do that back home."

"Why do you feel that you belong here?"

"Something in me feels at peace. Like when I used to go to the ocean, when I wasn't there I felt restless. But I don't here, at least I didn't."

"What's changed?" his low voice rumbled from behind me, the depth of his tone was soothing.

"Ever since I came back from Isenguard, I feel like no one truly wants me here. That I am still to blame for the lives lost at Helm's Deep. And for those lost when the Wargs attacked." A single tear slid down the side of my face, and I was glad that Eomer couldn't see it. I hated to cry in front of people.

"Deirdre, many people want you here." He reassured me.

"No, Eomer. People tolerate me here, but if I wasn't then they would still be perfectly happy."

"What about Saffron?"

"She has Nimiwen, I mean, sure she would be sad for a time but she would grieve and that would be it."

"Aragorn, Gandalf, or Gimli?"

"They don't actually need me. Everything would work out if I had never come."

"What about Legolas?"

I went rigid in his arms. He seemed to mention Legolas an awful lot tonight, or maybe it was just because I didn't want to talk about him. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be back inside and drinking all my cares away.

"He would be happier if I went back to Isenguard and tossed myself into the underground and drowned." I spoke coldly, my anger at what he had said during our fight returned. I knew that he had only said it because neither of us were thinking about the words coming out of our mouths. But that didn't mean that it didn't hurt.

"Deirdre, we both know that isn't true."

"Then why did he tell me that I should run off to Sauron." I nearly growled, all the happiness that I had managed to gain was gone.

"When did he tell you that?"

"Last night, when we were arguing."

"That is exactly why he said it, you were fighting. I won't claim to know your elf. But when I met him after we had found Saffron, he looked crushed that we didn't have you too. And when we were on our way to Isenguard, he was tense and angry."

"It's not like I didn't give him a perfect reason for him to be pissed off." I said sadly.

"Deirdre, if you want things to be alright for you and Legolas. Then you should be talking to him in there, rather than me out here." He laughed, it was the first time he had laughed since this part of the conversation had begun.

I nodded my head, knowing that he was right. I pulled out of his arms, only to turn around and give him a hug.

"Thank you, Eomer." I told him, smiling as I did so.

"Come on, I'll walk you back inside."

We turned to walk back inside, but I paused for a second. Without thinking, I looked over at him and said his name. Then I rose up on my toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he had turned his head to look at me from when I said his name. Our lips brushed and I could feel the scratchiness of his facial hair. That was definitely something that I liked about Legolas, no beard. But right as our lips touched, there was a light cast against the ground that seemed far too bright for this late at night.

I dropped back down so I was standing flat-footed. I looked over at the brightness of the light, only to see Aragorn standing there with a cloak in his hands and Legolas at his side. My eyes widened when I took in Legolas' angry face. The fury was radiating off of him, his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. After a second of our eyes meeting, mine scared as they met his dark fury-filled eyes, he began moving past Aragorn towards us. I didn't have any time to react from the shock as he slammed his fist into Eomer's face. But once the hit sounded, I jumped into action. I shoved both my hands against his chest, falling into him as I shoved.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I yelled at him.

He stumbled backwards with me held against him, my arms were still trapped against his chest after I had shoved him away. His hands closed tight around my upper arms, I nearly winced with the force that he was using on my flesh.

"Why don't you answer that question yourself?" he snarled back at me, it seemed that the days where we never fought and enjoyed each other's company were gone. I only hoped that this wasn't going to be a permanent thing.

"I was talking to Eomer because he was nice enough to keep me company while I was waiting for Aragorn to come back."

"Yes, I remember your talking." He replied sarcastically.

"Ugh!" I screamed in frustration. "You're impossible."

I said before pulling my arms from his grasp and began storming toward the hall. I was most of the way there before I was caught by Aragorn's words.

"Deirdre, where are you going?" he asked concerned, though his voice still held a hint of shock from before.

"I'm going to get a drink. And maybe another and then another. Until either I'm in a fucking fantastic mood or I pass out on the floor." I replied harshly. "Whichever one comes first."

And with that I stormed back into the hall and made my way over to where the ale was kept. I took care of filling my own tankard, again and again. My mood began improving slightly as my head got lighter. But I didn't stop, I really was planning on drinking until I passed out. And it was beginning to look like that would be coming soon. After a few more tankards full of ale, I made my way over to one of the rather more comfortable looking chairs. I settled down with my final tankard of ale, and chugged it down. Then I relaxed until I lost contact with everything that was happening around me.

***End Chapter 25***

So the two songs in there, that weren't from the movie, were _Seven Deadly Sins _by Flogging Molly and _Lily the Pink_ by the Irish Rovers.

Emma: Thank you so much for your inspiration piece there, it gave me the idea to have the little bit of bonding between Eomer and Deirdre, as well as the peck.

Megan: Yeah, Deirdre and Saffron are actually based off of me and my best friend. Deirdre is pretty much me with a name change, which is why I try to write mainly from her perspective.

Read and Review XD


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 26***

**Legolas' POV**

I was furious, she had kissed Eomer. First I learned that she was betrothed to Sauron and now this. Admittedly we had fought, and I had said some hurtful things that I didn't mean. But still, she had kissed him only a night after our fight. Aside from Aragorn telling me that the reason that her hand was broken the way that it was because she was upset, there would be no sign of distress. She had been quiet and avoided food today, hardly speaking to anyone at all except when Saffron forced her, but as soon as she began drinking her unusual behavior had changed to that of joy and contentment. I understood that she had drunk a lot tonight, but that was still no excuse for her kissing him.

I was staring out across the horizon and directly at Mordor. I could feel the evil radiating off of that place, even though it was so far away from here. The early morning sky was tainted by the red light blossoming from Mordor. Aragorn approached from behind, attempting to be stealthy and not disrupt me, but it failed to work.

"The stars are veiled. Something stirs in the East, a sleepless malice." I remarked then I turned my gaze from Mordor to look at Aragorn. "The Eye of the Enemy is moving."

"I'm sure that she has an explanation." Aragorn began to tell me, I knew that he would do this.

"I'm through with explanations, nothing more than excuses to lessen the blow of the truth." I replied, looking back over at Mordor with disdain.

"You won't even give her a chance to explain what happened then?" he tried again, after all he was the only one who went back and forth between me and Deirdre.

He always said that I seemed happier when we were courting. But it had been such a short time that there was no way to be sure. Anymore, I didn't know if she was even worth the effort. Everything she did lately seemed to counter the girl who I knew, the Deirdre that I cared for.

"She hasn't offered any explanation."

Instead of talking it out with me, she had walked off to go get drunk, even though she was already mostly there. I had seen her dancing and singing on the table, falling onto Aragorn. Heard the soldiers cheering as she took part in a drinking contest while I competed with Gimli. I watched as she struggled in Aragorn's arms, trying to get back to the ale, when he carried her toward the door.

"You didn't exactly let her, as you were trying to start a fight with Eomer." Aragorn replied, he sounded so reasonable.

I knew that he was right, that I had made a mistake throwing that punch. But I wasn't exactly thinking rationally when I saw her pressing her lips against his. The image was running through my mind repeatedly, along with her furious expression when she shoved me.

My attention fixed back on Mordor, there was a change in the feel of evil. It was closer, snapping its attention to Edoras itself. My eyes widened as I realized this.

"He's here." I informed Aragorn worriedly.

Our conversation about Deirdre was dropped as we rushed back into the hall. Standing in the center of the hall, where most everyone had fallen asleep after the celebration, was Pippin with the palantir flaming in his hands. Just as we made it through the door, Aragorn took the palantir from Pippin, who was now writhing in pain. But, the agony that was shooting from the palantir caused Aragorn to begin to collapse. Grabbing his arms to support him as best I could, we both slipped down to the floor. And the palantir rolled from his hands.

I followed its path with my eyes. To my horror, it rolled straight toward to Deirdre. She was still asleep on one of the chaise, but her hand was touching the floor as her arm dangled over the side. The seeing stone made contact with one of her fingers, and then jumped into her palm as though it wanted to be there. There was no reaction for a moment, until the palantir moved again. Dragging Deirdre along behind it, her body fell from the chair she laid on, crashing into the floor. She rolled back so that she could lie on her back, her eyes still sightless as she stared up at the ceiling. Then her arm moved, pulling the palantir tight into her body, as though she was protecting it.

**Deirdre's POV**

My sweet dreams of Legolas were interrupted. I felt a moment of agony, until the wave of anguish and pain subsided. My eyes refocused, but I wasn't laying in the hall at Edoras. I was standing on top of the tower in Mordor. Before me stood Sauron, he was wearing his dark battle armor once more. I wore that same black gown that I had worn when he saw me at Isenguard. He circled me like a predator studying its prey, looking for weaknesses. I didn't let my expression show fear, no matter how much was twisting inside me.

"It's lovely to see you again, my dark princess." He gently spoke from behind me.

"As it is to see you, my lord." The words tasted a lie in my mouth, that sickly feeling that I was just getting used to not having anymore.

"I was glad to learn that Saruman had fallen." I could hear the smirk in his tone.

"And I am glad to hear that reaction from you." I faked a smile of my own.

"Though, I must say. The fact that you have returned to your previous companions" he sneered the word as though it was revolting to say. "is less than encouraging."

"There was no other option."

"Nevertheless, I would like you to come to Mordor quickly. It will be the safest place for you during the battle, after all I wouldn't want my queen injured."

"I am not entirely sure that it would be the best idea, my lord."

"And why is that?" he sounded furious as he asked this.

"There may yet be potential for me to remain with Rohan."

"There is no reason for you to remain. You will come to Mordor as ordered."

"Of course, my lord." I replied, hating the words that left my mouth.

He circled me once more, his gloved finger dragging what was meant to be a caress across my skin. But instead of a gentle caress, the blood blossomed up barely contained by my flesh where his pointed finger dragged across my skin. A trail of a welt began to form across my skin. He dragged it down one side of my face, the trail continued down my neck and across my upper chest. Then it ran back across my upper back.

"Tell me about our situation in this war. We will succeed, will we not?" he practically drawled on the words, dragging them out.

"I would, my lord. But the only way I know how to describe it might be taken as offensive." I informed him, a slight smirk coming across my face. I decided it was about time that I stopped this lie.

"Tell me, in the bluntest way possible if you must." He snarled, clearly furious with my response.

"To put it delicately," I began with a smirk. "you're fucked. And not just fucked, like elephant dick, pounded in the ass, no reach around, jungle fucked."

I barely suppressed the laugh that was bubbling up in my throat. But that laughter rapidly subsided when Sauron was in front of me in a flash. I could see the flames in his eyes beneath the helmet. He was beyond furious. I gave one last smirk in defiance, and then it came.

A brutal smack across the face with his harsh, spiky gauntlets was the reward for my witty remark. I felt the skin break and blood begin to ooze from my cheek, but he wasn't done. Another back-hand across my other cheek as my head snapped to the other side. Then the agony that he had been dishing out to Pippin came, intermingling with the beating. A scream tore out of my throat, as every hit connected with my skin.

Finally, the pain stopped. But there was nothing, merely darkness all around me. But after the beating I had just taken, I was grateful for it.

**Legolas' POV**

Aragorn had reassured me that he was fine, so I raced toward Deirdre. But I was held back, my fury-filled eyes bore into Gandalf. As he was the one who blocked my path, after waking Pippin. I glared harshly at Gandalf, but he remained unfazed and looked at Deirdre.

"We need to see what is going to happen. She doesn't appear to be in any pain." He reasoned. "We need to know if we can trust her."

"Of course we can trust her." Saffron yelled at him, trying to get to Deirdre but she was held back by the now recovered Aragorn.

"We need to be sure, that she will not betray us. I'm sorry, Saffron." Gandalf told her then turned his attention back to the motionless Deirdre.

I stopped struggling against Gandalf, knowing that it would do no good. He was right, as much as I hated to admit it. So we waited, watching for any signs of betrayal. Then something strange happened, a red welt began forming upon her skin. Her skin raising up in a red line, as though a knife was being carefully dragged across her skin. The welt continued to form, dragging down her cheek and across the top of her chest. I twitched forward wanting to sooth the red mark across her skin. But Gandalf must have seen it as well, as he held me back still.

"What is that?" I asked in a harsh tone.

"I'm not exactly sure. The palantir is only a mental connection, there should not be any physical mark left behind." He thought aloud, not calming any nerves.

"Then we should remove it from her, if it's acting strangely." I attempted to persuade him.

He just shook his head, and everyone lulled back into silence. It was only quiet for another few seconds. A great red mark formed on her right cheek, something had cut into her skin and blood now trickled down her cheek. Her head snapped to the left for a second, then back to the right as another identical mark appeared on her left cheek. Her mouth opened and a scream echoed from her. She began thrashing on the floor, blood smearing as she moved. Her screams making me wince, but I pushed past Gandalf and kicked the palantir away from her.

It was deadly quiet, no one said a word, and the screams that had ravaged her throat dissipated. She was deathly still, panic filled me. Had I killed her with my rash act? I dropped down to my knees next to her, checking her chest for any signs of breathing. There were none. Even grasping her shoulders and shaking her, there was no response. Tears filled my eyes, this couldn't be happening.

I was shoved out of the way, smacking the floor with a resounding thud. Pain shot up through me, but it was justly deserved. Glancing back, there was Gandalf leaning over Deirdre and muttering a spell. The tiniest shred of hope in me thrived that maybe he could undo what I had done.

A gasp tore from her lips, her chest rose and fell. She was breathing. I moved back over toward her, holding onto her hand as my only reassurance that she was tangible. She rolled her head to the side, her eyes locking with mine. I received a single smirk, her eyes flashing brightly for a second.

"Turns out I'm not funny." She whispered hoarsely to me.

Then her eyes fell shut and she was silent. A glance at her chest showed that she was still breathing, and I breathed my own sigh of relief.

"She needs to rest." Gandalf stated. "I will need to speak with her immediately after she wakes next."

I nodded my head in understanding and carefully lifted her up from the floor, her head lolled back. I was grateful that warmth still radiated from her skin and that her chest filled with each breath. Saffron motioned with her head for me to follow her, so I carried the unconscious Deirdre and followed her. She led me through several hallways until she opened a doorway.

Tenderly, I laid Deirdre on the bed. I pulled the sheets down and then covered her with them. Saffron must have left the room quickly, as when I looked behind me, she was gone. I slipped off my boots and weapons, and climbed into the bed next to her. In her sleep, she moved over and laid her head on my chest. My arms wrapped around her form and I took my rest this way.

**Deirdre's POV**

After the darkness, there had been Legolas. I only spoke to him that one time before he vanished again and I was returned to the black of my unconsciousness. But now, I was beginning to feel my body again. And let me tell you, I felt like shit. My head was pounding from dehydration, my face felt abused and tenderized, and my nerves occasionally sent a spasm through my body. And to top it all off, my left hand and shoulder were making their presence know.

The only pleasant sensation right now was the warmth of being pressed against someone's chest. I inhaled deeply, smelling the spices of Legolas. But I immediately ignored that thought, as I wasn't going to get my hopes destroyed like that. My uninjured hand traveled over the expanse of the clothed chest, feeling the smooth fabric and intricate designs on the tunic. My heart leapt at the feel, but again I squashed any hope that it was Legolas. Instead, I snuggled my face closer into the chest, ignoring the pain that flashed through the cheek, and gave a hum of content.

The breathing of the person I laid on altered, as obviously my actions had roused them. A hand moved to touch my head, then the fingers combed through my hair. I gave a soft sigh with the action, only to receive a chuckle.

"Good morning, Deirdre." Legolas' voice came out smoothly and tenderly.

I wrapped my arms around his waist tighter, and buried my face further into his chest. My eyes remained firmly shut. If I opened them, then maybe this dream would end.

"I'm not getting up until I hear the lark that sings so out of tune." I commented, referencing Romeo and Juliet. After all, I loved that play when I read it in elementary school.

"I need to speak with you, Deirdre." Gandalf's voice carried over to me, sounding as though it wasn't too far away at all.

My eyes snapped open then I pulled myself away from Legolas. His arms attempted to keep me by his side, but I released myself. However, having now opened my eyes, my head was killing me.

"What do you need to talk about?" I asked quietly, shutting my eyes and rubbing at my temples.

God, hangovers sure as hell sucked. It felt like my head was being split in two. Hesitantly, I opened my eyes blocking out as much of the sun as possible by using my hand as a visor.

"I need to know what passed between you and Sauron." He stated directly, I had to admit I was happy that he didn't feel the need to pussyfoot around the issues.

I thought back on what had happened when I was with Sauron, but as I did, I felt the bile rising in my throat. I tore out of the bed and raced into the wash room to the side, barely having time to pull my hair out of the way before I vomited in a chamber pot. My body wracked with the heaves, and I gasped air into my lungs. After a moment or so of this, I pulled away from the pot and found the washbasin that had been left out. I swished water around my mouth only to spit it back out into the chamber pot. When I had finished this, I returned back to the main chamber feeling shaky.

Legolas was off the bed and as soon as I re-entered the room, he was at my side. His hands touched my forehead feeling the slightly clammy skin there. But I removed his hands from my face and took his hand, leading him back over toward the bed.

"Nothing more than usual," I informed Gandalf. "Just about how Saruman had died, and how he wanted me to go to Mordor quickly. Oh, and how he didn't like that I was back in all of your guys' company."

"And how did you get the marks on your face?" Gandalf questioned.

I could feel Legolas tense up next to me, he definitely wasn't happy. I gave a short laugh, shaking my head a little. Then I looked back at Gandalf.

"He smacked me several times." I stated blandly.

There was a low, almost growl coming from Legolas at this, his hand which was still holding onto mine tightened. I brought my other hand over and rubbed circles into it, attempting to get him to release some of the pressure from my injured hand. He took the hint when I winced and released my hand.

"And he smacked you because you returned to Edoras in our company?" Gandalf enquired.

"Nope, I made a rather offensive comment." I chuckled.

"And what was this comment?" I was asked.

"Well, he wanted to know about the situation with the battle at Minas Tirith." I began. "And I quoted a movie, which is generally incredibly crude and offensive."

"But what did you say?" Gandalf tried again.

"Are you really sure that you want to know? I mean it isn't exactly meant for sensitive ears."

"Just tell us, Deirdre." Gandalf replied with an annoyed tone.

"Well, I said that he was 'fucked like elephant dick, pounded in the ass, no reach around, jungle fucked'. He didn't take too kindly to that." I replied, not putting any emphasis on any of the words.

Gandalf's eyes went wide for a moment when I told him what I had said; apparently he hadn't heard anything like that before. I almost wanted to laugh that a young girl, namely me, could say something to shock Gandalf.

"That explains the cuts across your face," he commented, but after a pause continued. "What about the welt prior to that?"

"He dragged his finger across my skin. For the record, gauntlets aren't the softest things in the world." I tried to add a little humor in, but I could feel the anger beginning to radiate off of Legolas once more.

Gandalf nodded his head, then his eyes flickered over to Legolas and he stood up. He gave an almost reassuring smile before moving over toward the door. Then he turned back to address us once more.

"There will be a meeting about what is to be done. You will both need to be there." Gandalf said then he turned and left.

"He touched you?" Legolas growled, instantly I felt guilty over it.

"Unfortunately. It made me want to vomit." I answered directly, turning to face Legolas completely.

He gave a deep sigh, shutting his eyes to think for a moment. I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth and chewed on it nervously. There was a split in my lip, probably from Sauron, I rubbed my tongue along the division.

"I'm sorry." He finally said quietly, the words barely above a whisper.

My lips slipped out from between my teeth and I looked in directly in the eyes. Elation filled me, maybe we could actually fix things.

"I am too. I said things that I didn't mean. Can you forgive me?" I practically begged him, wanting everything to be alright desperately.

"No need to forgive anything." He commented, and then he pulled me gently into his arms.

As soon as I fell into him, I released a contented sigh. I had missed the comfort in his arms, my head tucked against his neck. A kiss touched the top of my head, his fingers stroked through my hair.

"Can we just stay like this? Not have to go back out into the world again?" I questioned quietly, knowing that we would have to face the world again.

"No, melethnin. We have to go out and meet with our friends soon." He laughed as he spoke.

I tilted my head and kissed the side of his neck, his fingers ran through my hair once more. Until, he pulled my head from his shoulder and brought his lips to mine. It started slow and gentle, it had been so long since I had kissed him. The soft gentle kiss began to gain heat as I opened my mouth for him. His hands went from being tangled in my hair and moved down to my waist. We rolled over, so he was hovering over me with one arm as a support. My hands snaked up over his shoulders, pulling him down into me. His hand traced down my side, resting on my hip bone. When his lips left mine and began to travel down my neck, I released a soft sigh. The sensation of a mixture of his lips and teeth against my flesh made me moan, so he sunk his teeth down harshly. With a gasp, I ground my hips against his. He groaned and moved from my neck back to my lips.

We continued to kiss, my hands moving to his hair and brushing against the points of his ears. The hand that had been resting on my hip bone moved down to my thigh and began pushing the skirt of my dress up. Just as his fingers were splayed over my thigh, there was a knock on the door.

"Just ignore it, hopefully whoever it is will go away." I whispered then returned to kissing him.

Unfortunately, whoever was outside the door wasn't giving up, as there was another knock.

"Ugh!" I groaned annoyed. "Go away!"

"Not happening, Di. Now hurry up or I am coming in there." Saffy's voice threatened through the door.

Legolas heaved a sad sigh, but then he rolled off of me. I sat up in the bed and leaned over to him, placing a quick kiss on his lips. He smirked when he looked at me, barely containing a light laugh.

"You should probably brush out your hair." He chuckled.

I jumped off of the bed and over to the vanity, seeing my mussed hair. I dragged the brush through my hair, then smirked and turned around to face Legolas. He gave me an innocent look, as though he hadn't done anything.

"You're in trouble, mister." I threatened.

And then, I pounced on him. He was knocked back onto the bed and I tried to pin his arms down, but before I had the chance he flipped me back over. I couldn't help but giggle as he trapped my wrists in one hand over my head. I lifted my head back up and kissed him quickly. Then while I was trying to squirm my way out from under him, the door opened.

"I thought I told you to hurry up." Saffy's voice came.

I looked over to the side and saw her standing there with her hands on her hips. Her head was tilted slightly to one side and there was a smile on her lips.

"He messed up my hair." I told her simply, smiling brightly.

Legolas released my wrists and moved off of me, grabbing my hand he pulled me into a sitting position. I moved off of the bed once more and brushed through my hair. I caught Legolas' hand and dragged him over to the door. As we walked down the hall, I laced my fingers with his and had a smile on my face.

***End Chapter 26***

There it is, hope you all enjoy the reunion even though they still have some things to work through. Oh, and the movie quote that Deirdre used was from _Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day_

Read and Review, if there is something that you want to see in the story tell me and I might be able to work it into the plot that is weaved in my brain.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: I own nothing.

Warning: Lemons in this chapter

***Chapter 27***

**Deirdre's POV**

"There was no lie in Pippin's eye." Gandalf's voice carried out to meet us as we entered the main hall hand in hand. "A fool, but an honest fool he remains."

Saffy automatically walked over to join Nimiwen, who was sitting at one of the long tables. Legolas moved toward one of the pillars, me following behind him, and he leaned up against it. We ended up standing with me leaning back against him as his arms wrapped around my torso. When Aragorn saw us walk in together he smiled at us; then focused his attention back on the situation before us.

"His defeat at Helm's Deep showed our enemy one thing. He knows the heir of Elendil has come forth. Men are not as weak as he supposed. There is courage still. Strength enough, perhaps, to challenge him. Sauron fears this, and Deirdre gave him right to fear. He will not risk the people of Middle Earth uniting under one banner. He will raze Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a king return to the throne of men. If the beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war." Gandalf surmised.

"Tell me." Theoden started in his harshest tone. "Why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?"

"My lord, do you not see?" I questioned as I slipped out of Legolas' arms. "If Minas Tirith and Gondor fall to Sauron, then there is no one preventing those same armies from slaying your people. Sauron will not be satisfied until all freedom is squashed. If you will not aid the people of Gondor for the sake of humanity, then do it for your people."

The hall had fallen silent as I spoke to the king, who now examined me. I stood up straight under his gaze, compared to Sauron this was nothing.

"Do not let death and destruction further wreak havoc because of petty differences." My tone changed from argumentative to pleading.

"I will go!" Aragorn said, rising to break the tension that was between King Theoden and me.

"No!" Gandalf replied curtly.

"They must be warned." Aragorn argued back, obviously worried about the people that he was bound by blood to serve. As well as the oath that he gave to Boromir.

"They will be." Gandalf comforted and then he moved over to Aragorn and quietly spoke to him. "You must come to Minas Tirith by another road. Follow the river. Look to the black ships."

I had to admit, I was quite happy to have elven hearing now. I could at least hear what was being said quietly from a distance. With one last glance over at Theoden, who was no longer looking at me, I walked back over to Legolas and was in his arms once more.

"Understand this, things are now set in motion that cannot be undone. I ride for Minas Tirith" Gandalf announced followed by a harsh look at Pippin. "And I won't be going alone."

There was a frightened look on Pippin's face that he was now going to have to deal with the consequences of his looking into the palantir. His confused eyes looked first to Merry, who only seemed melancholy, and then turned to me. I opened my arms and he came rushing forward. I almost immediately had a Halfling in my arms. Merry was looking on sadly, so I motioned with my head for him to come over as well.

"Come now, love. You need to be brave and go to Minas Tirith." I whispered to Pippin, who had buried his head in my stomach.

Merry had taken my other side, so it was now hard to move. I patted both of their heads, then took each of their hands and began pulling them to gather Pippin's things.

"Why do I need to go Minas Tirith?" Pippin asked as I fastened his cloak about his neck.

"Because they need to be warned, otherwise they may lose their homes and everyone they care about." I replied, smoothing the cloak down over his shoulders.

Once more I found myself treating the hobbits as children, even though they were more than likely older than I was. Merry had slipped off to go grab something from his things, so I was kneeling before Pippin alone. I pressed a kiss to his forehead and leaned back.

"I know it won't do any good, but please keep your mouth shut when you get there." I asked quietly, knowing that he would just ignore this and talk to Denethor anyway.

"Pippin, it's time to go." Gandalf's gruff voice cut in.

The hobbit before me looked over at the wizard and nodded his head. Gandalf began leading the way out toward the stables with Merry, Pippin, and me in tow.

"Of all the Hobbits, Peregrin Took, you are the worst! Hurry! Hurry!" Gandalf began ranting as we made our way out of the hall and down the steps towards the stables.

"Where are we going?" Pippin asked, confused more by where we were walking to rather than the journey to Minas Tirith.

"Why did you look? Why do you always have to look?" Merry complained as we walked quickly after Gandalf.

"I don't know, I can't help it." He replied to his exasperated friend.

"You never can." Merry practically huffed.

"It's in his nature, just like caring for your friends is in yours Merry." I told him with a smile.

"I'm sorry alright? I won't do it again?" Pippin tried to win back his friends happiness.

"Don't you understand? The enemy thinks you have the ring! He is going to be looking for you Pip. They have to get you out of here." Merry explained to him, causing an expression of true terror to appear on Pippin's face.

"And you? You're coming with me?" Pippin asked in a pleading tone, only to be rewarded with Merry continuing to follow after Gandalf. "Merry?"

"Come on!" Merry ordered, turning back to look at Pippin for only a second as he continued to walk.

Both Pippin and I follow after them, having taken Pippin's hand in mine. As we walked he looked up at me pleadingly, begging with his eyes that I might be coming with him as well. But I only shook my head sadly, the only reason that Sauron would want me would be to ensure a slow, very painful death.

Inside the stables, Gandalf was preparing Shadowfax for the journey to Minas Tirith. Unfortunately for Pippin, this did not include a saddle. We approached the stall with the great white horse inside, Gandalf turned to look at us.

"How far is Minas Tirith?" Pippin asked hesitantly.

"Three days ride as the Nazgul flies. And you'd better hope that we don't have one of those on our tail." Gandalf told him as he picked Pippin up and set him on Shadowfax's back.

"You will make it safely to Minas Tirith." I promised Gandalf, who only smiled at me in return.

"Here, something for the road." Merry offered along with a leather pouch.

Pippin took it happily then looked inside the pouch. His gaze returned to his friend with a distraught look.

"The last of the Longbottom Leaf?" Pippin questioned shocked.

"I know you've run out. You smoke too much Pippin." Merry replied with a slight smile.

"But, we'll see each other soon?" Pippin tried to confirm with his friend. "Won't we?"

"I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen." Merry admitted truthfully, obviously scared of this.

Gandalf had now mounted up behind Pippin and was preparing to ride out toward Minas Tirith. Merry slowly began to back away from the horse, slowly shaking his head.

"Merry? Deirdre?" Pippin cried out distraught.

"Run, Shadowfax, show us the meaning of haste." Gandalf prompted as they began to move forward.

"Merry!" Was the last cry that we heard from Pippin as Shadowfax charged out of the stable and raced toward Minas Tirith.

Suddenly, Merry took off out of the stables, leaving me in his dust. I automatically raced to catch up with him. He ran up the stairs at one of the watch posts, leaving a mess of guards in his wake. I lithely jumped over the men, who were now littering the steps. Aragorn's cry came from behind me, calling out our names. Merry finally stopped when he stood at the top of the watch post, watching Pippin and Gandalf ride off onto the plains and away from us. I stood just to Merry's right and Aragorn took his left side, we both rested a hand on the hobbit's shoulders.

"He's always followed me everywhere since before we were tweens. I would get him into the worst trouble but I was always there to get him out. Now he's gone." Merry admitted then looked up at the two of us. "Just like Frodo and Sam."

"One thing I've learned about Hobbits: They are a most hardy folk." Aragorn replied to comfort the hobbit.

"Foolhardy maybe. He's a Took after all." Merry laughed at his joke, I couldn't help but to give a slight chuckle as well.

"Sometimes while we are growing up, we have to go our separate ways." I comforted Merry. After another moment, I kneeled down next to him. "But, I promise you. Nothing could keep the two of you parted for long. You will be back together again soon."

Merry smiled at me, then turned his attention back out to watch the disappearing shape of his friend. We continued to stand there until their shapes were completely invisible to our eyes; I was the last to see them disappear off into the distance. It would be dinner soon and Merry was eager to get something to eat, as he had missed lunch. We walked back to the hall together, silence engulfing the three of us.

Standing against one of the pillars was Legolas, my heart did a little flip in my chest when I saw him leaning there. As soon as the door announced our entry his eyes were on mine. A smile appeared on my face and it took restraint to keep from racing over to him. He moved from his place and began walking over to me, and on his face was a slight smirk.

"Come with me?" he enquired as he stood before me.

I nodded my head and smiled, and he took my hand and led me out of the hall after I gave a final wave to my friends who remained behind. We walked back down the same corridor we had that morning, ending up at my room. In a whirlwind of motion, he had opened the door, pulled me inside, shut the door, and pressed me up against it. My breath rushed out of my lungs in a gasp, but he just pressed further into me. I sighed when I felt him against me, my arms pinned to the wall on either side of my head.

"We still need to talk." He growled in an animalistic manner.

"Uh-huh." I sighed out, enjoying the close proximity.

At my answer he smirked, placing a soft kiss on my neck before pulling his face away again. My breath quickened a little with the way he pressed against me.

"Why did you kiss Eomer?" he growled, biting my neck at the end of the question.

I inhaled sharply, my mind working to remember the question so that I could figure out the answer.

"I didn't actually mean to. I was meaning to give him a kiss on the cheek, when he turned his head. He was actually convincing me to go in and sort things out with you." I stammered out followed by a gasp as he bit my neck again.

"So you have no feelings for him then?" Legolas clarified as he laid an open-mouthed kiss against my throat.

"He's only a friend. I swear." I gasped out.

"Good," he muttered before continuing on with his ministrations on my neck. "Did you miss me while you were in Isenguard?"

"Valar, yes." I nearly groaned out, my neck was going to be covered with his love bites, but at the moment I couldn't have cared less.

"Did Sauron ever make you feel like this?" he growled deeply, it was obvious he was getting everything out of the way now so we didn't need to go back over it again later.

"No, the only feeling I got when around him was revulsion."

"And do you care for Aragorn?" he questioned, continuing his marking of my flesh.

"What?" I gasped out in reply, he had hit a sensitive point on my neck and that mixed with his question left me with a very confused mind.

"You were curled up with him on our return from Isenguard." He reasoned out.

"No, Aragorn is just my friend. When I woke up the next morning, I was hoping that you were the one that I was laying with." I admitted, gasping as I finished the sentence.

"You swear?" he questioned, sounding like a child now unsure of whether or not he was hearing the truth.

"On my life." I promised him.

Those must have been the magical words, as he stopped working on my neck and moved his lips to mine. Our lips crashed together, almost immediately I opened my mouth to him. His tongue pillaged inside my mouth, stealing away every remnant of secrets. I moaned as his hands buried into my hair, brushing against the points of my ears. His entire body pressed against mine, providing an incredibly sensation between the warmth radiating from him and the slowly heating wood behind me.

His hands traveled down my sides, wrapping around my waist and pulling me in even tighter to him. He moaned as our lower bodies met together, I could feel the beginnings of his arousal. My hands went up around his neck, slipping into his soft hair. With a little help from Legolas, I wrapped my legs around his waist, pressing us even closer together. He braced himself against the door, trapping me in the small space. I ground myself against him as he pressed me entirely against the door.

He moved one of his hands from the door behind me and traced up my side until he reached my breasts. Through the thin fabric of my dress he fondled me, my nipples tautening under his touch.

"Legolas," I sighed out at the sensation.

My head fell backwards between the slight movements he was making with his hips and the sensation of his fingers on my breasts. He took advantage of this and returned his lips to my neck, intermixing kisses with bites. With a groan, he pressed more against me and ground a little. My bottom lip slipped between my teeth as I bit down to suppress my moaning. His lips turned into a smirk against my skin.

"Please, Legolas." I pleaded with him.

His hand left my breast and both of them grabbed me around the back. I was lifted off of the wall and he carried me over to the bed, setting me down gently. A giggle escaped my lips when we hit the mattress. But it was silenced almost immediately when his lips covered mine, smothering every sound I made.

My skirt began gravitating upwards as he slowly pushed the material out of the way. Ever so slowly, his fingers snaked up over my skin. The softness of his touch sent a shiver up my spine. Through the thin fabric of my underwear, he could feel the moisture of my arousal collected. I gasped as his fingers brushed against the damp material. The delicate touch was sending wave after wave of sensation down to my lower stomach and pooling there. With every touch, I could feel myself throb with need.

Within seconds, I was pulled back up into a sitting position. He moved behind me, moving my hair out of the way and kissing gently along my neck. I could feel his fingers at the lacing on the back of the dress, which soon began to expand around my frame. The front of the dress fell down a little and he slowly pushed the material off of my arms. As the lacings finally came undone, he lifted the bottom of my dress and pulled it over my head. The dress hit the floor, unnoticed to either of us. His hands raked across my back, causing me to arch forward. But his touch left my skin directly and he began working on unfastening my corset as well.

He must have become frustrated with the lacing, as he only managed to loosen the corset before it was yanked over my head and tossed to the ground. With a turn, I faced my elf. Our lips crashed together once more, desperate for a taste of the other. I dragged my hands across the front of his tunic, lightly dragging my nails across his chest. When I hit the bottom of his tunic, I pulled it up over his head quickly, leaving him shirtless before me.

As I glanced into his eyes, there was none of the shining light which was usually held there. Instead his eyes were darkened, pupils dilated, with pure unadulterated lust. My fingers wove into his hair as he pulled me close into him, our mouths claiming the others. He spun us around and tossed me back onto the pillows at the head of the bed, my legs spread open to allow him the place between them. I was clothed in only a petticoat and panties, while he only wore his leggings. Starting at my mouth, he trailed kisses down my neck and onto my chest, capturing a nipple in his mouth. At the sound of my gasp, his other hand immediately went to my other breast. Between bites, he swirled his tongue around the hardened bud. After a few moments of this, he switched so that the other nipple was in his mouth.

He trailed kisses back up to my mouth, which resulted in my moving upward and straddling him as I sat on his lap. His arms wrapped around me, deepening the kiss even more. I pulled away momentarily, pushing him down onto the bed. My lips marked his flesh as I kissed my way down his throat and placed the occasional bite on his torso. My tongue danced across the hard plains of his abs, dipping in between the defined muscles. I made my way back up his body, this time taking the path up his neck and blew a soft, warm breath on the point of his ear. He shuddered beneath me, letting me feel how hard he was against me. My tongue darted out of my mouth, hesitantly licking the tip. He moved his hands up my legs, reaching the band of my petticoat. As he began pulling it off of me, I rose up leaning forward more, so that he could pull it off me entirely. It caught around my knees, he then rolled me over and finished removing the garment.

Then he slowly began pulling my panties down my legs, I lifted my hips up to assist him a little. He stared down at me as I lay before him, bare to the world. Foregoing modesty, I sat up and my hands traced around the top of his leggings. My fingers struggled with the lacings, causing me to huff in irritation. He took pity on me and quickly untied his leggings. Standing up from the bed, he slowly moved the leggings down; I was out of the bed and kneeling before him in an instant. I pulled his leggings down so that they pooled around his feet and he quickly stepped out of them.

I stood back up and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him softly as our naked bodies pressed against one another. Lifting me up off the ground, he moved us back over to the bed. We flopped down and he began to kiss my torso once more, I sighed as he did so. Then his fingers began to wander down my flesh, leaving a trail of heat behind them. After a circle around my navel, his fingers splayed out on my thighs. Gently, he brushed his fingers against me, eliciting a gasp from me. His eyes locked with mine for a second, everything else halted for just those moments.

"Are you sure?" he questioned quietly, cautiously.

"Please." Was my response, sounding absolutely sure of my answer.

He spread my legs wider as he looked me straight in the eyes. I tried to relax my body as much as possible, knowing that this was probably going to hurt. And then, with one swift movement he was thrust inside me. A gasp erupted in my mouth as I felt him break the final barrier of virginity. My eyes snapped shut, blocking out the pain that was spreading through me. His gently hand caressed my face slowly, as he held his position absolutely still. When I opened my eyes, I saw how worried he was for me.

"Melethnin, are you alright?" he asked me, voice coming out raspy from restraint.

"Uh-huh, fine love." I told him, slowly moving my hips and creating the first real movement.

He moaned at my movement, then he moved inside me once more. The pain was beginning to fade away, left behind by pleasure. I sighed as he moved again, thrusting inside me, but it quickly turned to a moan. He pumped in and out of me, the room filled with our pleasured noises. Repositioning himself, he pulled my leg up and rested it on his hip, changing the angle that he was penetrating me. Issuing forth from my mouth was a jumble of gasps and moans. As he continued to slam into me, I could feel tightness coiling in my lower stomach. I met his thrusts one for one as we continued to clash together.

"Uh, faster." I practically cried out.

With the increase of speed, my gasps turned sharper and higher pitched. The pleasure built until he brushed against a sensitive place as he angled in deeper and my eyes rolled back in my head. A mixture of moans, gasps, and 'oh gods' escaped my lips as I felt myself tighten around him and colors flashed before my eyes. His previously measured thrusts became more haphazard and out of rhythm. As I began to come crashing down from my climax, he came inside me.

We lay in a tangle of limbs, cuddling in our post-coital bliss. My lips would brush against his every once in a while, exhaustion was beginning to creep over me.

"Amin mella lle."** I love you.** He told me, sleep was beginning to take over him as well.

"Je t'aime aussi, mon cher." **I love you too, my dear.** I replied in French.

Sleep came to the both of us and for once, nothing but sweet dreams filled me. There was no better place in any world for me to be, then right there in Legolas' arms.

Gentle kisses trailed along my neck, bringing me slowly to consciousness. I sighed as sleep finally dissipated from me, my eyes focused. I was staring straight up at the ceiling, but out of the corner of my eye I could see a blonde head against my neck. Suddenly, the kisses stopped and Legolas pulled away from my neck to look at me. He had a soft smile on his face when he leaned in and kissed me sweetly. It was not the passionate, forceful kisses from last night, but an entirely different, tender sort of kiss. His tongue gently ran along my lower lip, to which I opened my mouth willingly. We kissed for a few moments, until we were interrupted by a knock on the door.

I sent a glare at the door and returned my attention to Legolas. But unfortunately, the knocking continued. So I did what seemed best for us. I pulled the blanket over us and my hands explored his chest while we kissed under the covers.

"I'm not going away so you can get rid of that idea now." Aragorn's voice carried through the door.

I pressed another quick kiss to Legolas' lips then raised my head out from under the covers.

"I don't suggest coming in. You will undoubtedly see some things that you don't want to." I called out to the door, hoping that this would sufficiently get rid of Aragorn.

"I think we all already heard too much last night." Saffy called through the door, I rolled my eyes and ducked back under the covers.

"I don't think they are going to leave us alone anytime soon." Legolas laughed as I returned to under the covers.

"Hmmmmm," I pondered for a moment, until a fantastic idea struck me. "I have an idea."

"Really, meleth?" he asked, lips lingering on my neck.

"Uh-huh, just go along with me, alright?" I clarified with him, to which I received a nod.

It must have been out of the blue for Legolas, as his eyes widened in shock, when I began making simulated sex sounds. After I smacked his shoulder slightly, Legolas began making similar noises.

"Maybe we should just go." Aragorn suggested quietly to Saffy, obviously he thought that we were actually having sex once again.

"No way." Saffy whispered to him, but then she raised her voice so that we were meant to hear it. "Nice try, DiDi. But I can tell that you're faking it. So stop making Legolas play along."

I frowned, causing a smirk to appear on Legolas' face. I kissed the smirk off of his face, moving so that I was straddling him and the blankets had fallen off of us.

"Alright, Saffy. If you really want we can give you a real performance." I offered over my shoulder, before returning my attention to the elf who was hardening beneath me.

"You really want to make love for their benefit?" Legolas asked, shocked at this.

"No, but getting them to leave us alone will definitely be a bonus." I said as I rolled my hips.

A moan escaped his lips, as I raked my nails across his chest. He lifted his head up and I brought mine down, meeting together to kiss once more.

"We're coming in, Di!" Saffy announced from outside the door.

"Are you sure that you want to?" I questioned before returning to kissing Legolas.

I shifted the blanket so that it would cover him as much as possible. Then I leaned back down and kissed his lips before moving down his neck. The door swung open behind me, resulting in a startled Saffy at the scene in front of her. I looked back over my shoulder at her, standing next to her was a completely mortified Aragorn. He remained stock still for a moment, before averting his eyes.

"Enjoying the view?" I questioned sarcastically then rolled my eyes at her lack of response. "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Saffy looked like she was about to stammer out something, but instead Aragorn pulled the door shut quickly. As soon as I heard the sounds of them scurrying away, I released a giggle and rolled off of Legolas, though my leg remained cast over his hips.

"Where do you think you're going?" he enquired in a low voice.

I faked a yawn then wrapped my arms around his neck. Closing my eyes, I rested my head against his shoulder.

"I was going to go back to sleep, love." I replied.

He rolled us over so that he was laying over me, my legs wrapped around his waist. I opened my eyes when I felt this change, staring up into his bright blue eyes.

"Maybe we could do something better than sleeping." He commented with a smirk, then he leaned down and kissed my lips.

One final giggle escaped my lips, before it was swiftly replaced by the sounds of moaning as we made love once more.

***End Chapter 27***

Hey, sorry I didn't get the chapter up by the end of the world. This one took me a long time to write, but hopefully I will be able to get the next one up faster. Hope you enjoy.

Read and Review :D


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 28***

**Deirdre's POV**

I stretched in the bed, slowly awakening from my rest. There was a now familiar body heat entangled with my own limbs. As my eyes refocused onto the room, I released a contented sigh and rolled over to face Legolas. His eyes were unfocused, which changed quickly as I pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Bonne matin, l'amour." I said when his eyes focused on mine.

He quirked his eyebrow at my words, he was clearly confused. To which I gave him a gently smile and pressed a light kiss to his lips once more.

"I said 'Good morning, love'." I translated for him.

He gave me a smile before pulling me into him as well. My hands rested on either side of his head as I leaned over him. Carefully, he pushed one lock of my hair behind my ear before tracing his hand down my face.

"Quel amrun a' lle, melethnin." Legolas replied to me, leaning up and kissing me.

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow, we really needed to speak the same language as the other. But then again, Elvish is his native language. So I couldn't really complain about it, especially when I did the same thing with French.

"Good morning to you, my love." He informed me, translating his earlier words.

After another quick kiss, I pulled away from him and began climbing out of the bed. Only to have my wrist caught as I began to leave. Looking back over my shoulder, I saw Legolas' hand trapping my wrist.

"We have to go and see the others, I'm sure they have been missing us." I explained.

"After earlier, I'm not sure that they will want to see us." He commented with a smirk.

"Still, we should go and see them." I replied with a pointed look at my still encircled wrist.

He must have either given up or gotten the hint, as his grasp loosened immediately. I slipped out of the bed, leaving the sheets behind to linger over him. My clothing was strewn throughout the room, so it took me several minutes to gather the necessary items up. I had finally managed to gather up all of my clothing when I felt his stare on my back. Turning back around, I saw that Legolas was still lying in the bed, with sheets draped across his body as though he was a Greek god in a toga. My lower lip slipped back between my teeth, as I bit down on it to keep my cool. He looked incredibly delectable and I would have loved to race back over to the bed and mount him. However, our friends would likely be worried about us soon.

"Do you have to put your clothing back on; it will get rid of my amazing view." He commented.

His words caused a rush of lust to wash over me, instead of succumbing however I picked up his shirt which was on the floor next to my feet and threw it at his head. Somehow, I had actually managed to get it to land covering his face. He plucked the garment from his head, eyeing it with disdain.

"Get dressed, love. Or we will likely be interrupted again." I warned him as I pulled on my underwear.

His eyes stayed on my form throughout the process, remaining even as I began pulling my corset on over my head. I decided that since he wasn't going to get dressed himself, then he could at least help me, I moved over and turned my back to him.

"Lace me up?" I requested, pulling my long hair over my shoulder so that it wasn't in his way.

His fingers danced across my back, giving the occasional tug on the strings of my corset. But mainly, his hands wandered across my back and sides, fingers brushing gently across the exposed flesh. Finally, he finished the work on my back and I turned around to face him. My hands rested against his bare shoulders, while his arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer into him. Bending my head down, we kissed again. As his tongue brushed against my lower lip, I happily opened my mouth to him. Our tongues danced for dominance for several seconds before I pulled away.

"If you don't knock this off, we will never get out of this room." I scolded him, teasing him slightly.

"Well, it seems that you have figured out my plan." He joked back.

I leaned back in and our lips met once more, it was definitely going to take a long time to get out of the room this morning. Again, I was the one who pulled back. He quirked a brow as I did so.

"Legolas, you need to get dressed. Otherwise, I will be leaving you here." I told him seriously.

I picked up my dress from the night before then I realized that I had been wearing that same dress for about two days and dropped it back onto the floor. Lying against one of the chairs, I saw that the black dress I had from Isenguard was still there. Hesitantly, I pulled the dress on and brought it over my head. With my dress being held up by my hands, I moved back over to the bed.

"Will you lace my dress?" I asked him in a sweet tone.

He laughed then began fastening the ties on the back of the dress. When he was finished, he pulled my hair back from over my shoulder and his hands ran down my back. In a flash, he had turned me around and pulled me down onto the bed on top of him. I giggled as he did so, but still placed a kiss on his lips. Then I rolled off of him, leaving my hand on his chest.

"Clothing." I reminded him.

I moved off of the bed entirely at that point, leaving him behind to dress. At the vanity, I took a seat and brushed through my tangled hair. However, before completing this task I risked a glance up at the mirror. I had a bad case of sex hair, and my appearance wasn't helped by the bruising across my face. I looked as though I had been smacked around, and I suppose I had.

When I looked back behind me, Legolas was completely dressed and standing behind me. He moved forward and helped me stand up from the vanity, when I was standing though we were inches apart. His eyes wandered down to my neck and a smirk crossed his face.

"Are you ready to go?" he questioned, keeping the amusement in his tone.

I smiled up at him then nodded my head. He grabbed my hand and led me over to the door. We walked down the hallways until we reached the main hall, where our friends sat around the table. When we approached Aragorn blushed upon looking at me, while Saffy and Nimiwen smirked at us.

"Mornin' y'all!" I announced brightly, ignoring the red of Aragorn's face.

"You missed lunch already." Saffy informed as a reply.

"Damn, I was actually hungry." I replied with a smirk.

"Then maybe you should have come out to lunch instead of screwing Legolas." She said with a laugh and a light shake of her head.

"True, but then I wouldn't have been nearly as hungry." I laughed my response.

Legolas and I sat down next to one another, our hands grasped under the table. Aragorn was far less embarrassed at this point, but was still avoiding eye contact.

"Are you going to be awkward from now on?" I enquired of him. Seriously it wasn't like Legolas and I were actually having sex when he walked in, it just looked like it.

"Of course not." Was his reply, making me laugh that while he had said it he was still avoiding eye contact.

"Dork." I commented before leaning over the table and flicking his nose.

His expression was priceless, he was absolutely shocked that I had just flicked his nose and I couldn't help but smile.

"What was that for?" he questioned me.

"For being an awkward dork." I replied with a smirk. "I was actually wondering something though."

He quirked his eyebrow as a cue for me to continue, though there was hesitation throughout his expression, he was curious to know what I was thinking about.

"Would you be able to take the stitches out of my shoulder? I think it's about time to get them out." I responded to his prompt.

"Yes, of course. But why wouldn't you ask Legolas?" he returned.

I smirked once more, thinking about the reason of me in a corset and Legolas trying to do something productive, in short it wasn't likely to succeed and I would have to ask Aragorn for help later anyway.

"I actually want to have the stitches out and the fact that you have more medical experience than he does." I replied.

"I suppose I could remove them and see how your shoulder is faring." He commented.

"Awesome!" I said, before standing up and walking around the table to grab his hand and drag him after me. "Let's go!"

"Why are you in such a rush?" Aragorn asked me as I dragged him behind me.

"Cause I hate the feel of having stitches in as well as the sight, and the sooner that they can be removed the happier I will be."

He chuckled as we walked back to my room, where I quickly gathered water into the basin and a clean cloth. After I pulled the shoulder off of my dress, so that it rested around my upper arm, he drew a short knife from its place at his side. Apparently, he still felt the need to keep some protection even though we were in the safety of Edoras.

"This might hurt some." He told me as he dipped the cloth into the water.

"Aragorn, I put the stitches in myself. I think I can handle the pain of a little water." I replied in a snarky tone.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he dabbed the stitching with the cloth. I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down, for some reason it was hurting more now than I remembered it hurting before. Probably because when I stitched myself up last time that amount of pain was nothing compared to the arrow in my shoulder.

"Sorry." He muttered at my response, but he continued removing dirt and sweat from the stitches.

He must have felt that it was adequately cleaned as he began cutting the stitches with his knife. Unable to watch, I stared up at the ceiling. Each cut was felt as he slowly removed the stitches from my flesh; my eyes slowly began to water, but I managed to hold back any tears from falling. The feel of the wet cloth against my injury returned, washing away the remaining grime and the new blood that I feared had begun pooling. Then all I felt on my shoulder was air, racing to assault the cool skin.

"Done?" I questioned in a wavering voice.

"Yes, your shoulder seems to have healed quite nicely. You will want to refrain from using it for a few days, to prevent re-opening the wound, but otherwise it will be fine." He informed me.  
Finally, I lowered my gaze from the ceiling and looked him in the eye. He gave me a reassuring smile, which I gratefully returned. But my smile wavered as I thought about how I should be practicing for the upcoming battle.

"How long until the battle?" he asked, he must have figured out what I was thinking from the faltering smile.

"About a week, I think."

"Rest for a few days then you can start practicing if you feel the need."

A grin spread across my face, Aragorn knew me so well, I was beginning to feel like I was an open-book that everyone could figure out exactly what I was thinking. But then again, compared to being the closed off person I was when I was at Isenguard, maybe being so open wasn't a bad thing.

"Thank you." I told him, before pulling him into a hug.

He returned the hug then pulled away and rose from our seats on the bed. With a smirk, he grabbed my hand and hauled me off of the bed. We headed back out to the hall where our friends still sat.

"How is your shoulder?" Legolas enquired as I took a seat next to him.

"All healed up. Though for some reason, Aragorn thinks that I should rest my shoulder for a few days." I announced with a laugh.

"Well, we don't want you to hurt yourself again." Legolas replied in my ear.

I smiled at him before laying my head on his shoulder. Looking across the table however, I could see that Merry was still quite upset about his friend being gone.

"Hey Merry, do you want to go for a walk with me?" I asked the quiet hobbit.

He nodded his head and gave a light smile. We both stood up from the table and walked out of the hall together. The bracing air of Edoras struck us, my hand rested on Merry's shoulder. Then I prompted him forward and we began walking through the streets of the city, the noise of people working was heard, as the sun was slowly beginning to set. People were finishing up their work for the day, children were spending their last few minutes out playing in the fading light, and women were calling out of their houses for their children.

"I know you miss him, Merry. But you must be strong, it won't be too long before you see one another again." I attempted to sooth him.

"I know, Deirdre, but last night without him there and knowing that he was out in the wilderness with Gandalf, I couldn't sleep." He explained.

"I understand, Merry. Do you want me to stay with you tonight until you fall asleep?" I asked him.

"I kind of assumed you would spend the night with Legolas once more." He replied with a blush, looking down at the ground as we walked.

"Merry, if you ever need anything just tell me. I will always be more than willing to come and help you fall asleep, no matter what." I reassured him, smoothing his hair.

"Thank you." Was his only response, he pressed in closer to my side with that, in a half hug.

We continued our walk around Edoras in quiet, watching the sun finally sink below the horizon as we reached the steps of the Golden Hall once more. As we walked back inside, there was the bustle of people getting ready for supper and my stomach growled at the idea. We found our friends rather quickly, as they had returned to the large room that the men were sharing.

"We were beginning to wonder what took you two so long." Aragorn commented as we entered the room.

"We thought you were going to miss dinner." Gimli said as he laughed at the notion of missing dinner.

"Are you kidding me? I already missed two meals today I couldn't bear to miss another." I replied with a slight laugh.

"Good because it actually is time for dinner." Eowyn's voice came from the doorway behind me.

We all went to the dining hall and took a seat at one of the tables. The meal passed with laughter and joking; I was so glad to eat. Merry and Gimli both laughed at the amount of food that I ate and drank. Gimli kept drinking as I stood to leave the table with Merry. But Legolas grabbed my wrist as I was passing by him, he raised his eyebrow to question me.

"Merry's having trouble sleeping." I leaned down to tell him, his eyebrows furrowed in disappointment. "I'll meet you in my room after he is asleep."

With a nod, my wrist was released and I returned to the men's sleeping quarters with Merry. He laid down on his bedroll and I sat down, so he could rest his head on my lap.

"Will you sing me a song, Deirdre?" he asked, his eyes were closed as he made his request.

"Of course, Merry." I replied, before thinking for a moment about what song I would sing for him.

I chose a song that I had learned in my French class, it was quite lovely and something that I really liked and was soothing enough that it would probably help him fall asleep.

_Alors tu vois, comme tout se mêle__  
__Et du cœur à tes lèvres, je deviens un casse-tête__  
__Ton rire me crie de te lâcher__  
__Avant de perdre prise et d'abandonner__  
__Car je ne t'en demanderai jamais autant__  
__Déjà que tu me traites comme un grand enfant__  
__Nous n'avons plus rien à risquer__  
__À part nos vies qu'on laisse de coté__  
__Et il m'aime encore, et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Mais il m'aime encore, et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort___

_C'en est assez de ces dédoublements__  
__C'est plus dure à faire, qu'autrement__  
__Car sans rire c'est plus facile de rêver__  
__À ce qu'on ne pourra jamais plus toucher__  
__On se prend la main, comme des enfants__  
__Le bonheur aux lèvres, un peu naïvement__  
__Et on marche ensemble, d'un pas décidé__  
__Alors que nos têtes nous crient de tout arrêter__  
_

_Il m'aime encore, et toi, tu m'aimes un peu plus fort__  
__Mais il m'aime encore, et moi, je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Et malgré ça, il m'aime encore, et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Mais il m'aime encore, et moi, je t'aime un peu plus fort___

_Encore, et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Mais il m'aime encore, et moi je t'aime pas plus fort__  
__Et malgré ça il m'aime encore, et moi je t'aime un plus fort__  
__Mais il m'aime encore, et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort___

_Encore, et moi, je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Mais il m'aime encore, et moi, je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Et malgré ça, il m'aime encore, et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Mais il m'aime encore, et moi, je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Et malgré ça, il m'aime encore, et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Mais il m'aime encore, et moi, je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Et malgré ça, il m'aime encore et moi je t'aime un peu plus fort__  
__Mais il m'aime encore, et moi, je t'aime un peu plus fort_

When I had finished the song, it became obvious that Merry had fallen asleep. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. I decided that since he was now asleep, it would be fine for me to slip from the room and meet Legolas. Carefully, I lifted his head from my lap and replaced my legs with a pillow. Merry seemed to stay asleep during the entire time, so I snuck out of the room trying not to make a single sound.

I made it back into my room, only to find that Legolas was sitting on the bed staring at the ceiling. I quietly shut the door behind me, before moving toward the bed and pouncing on him. He caught me in his arms then flipped me over, using the momentum that I had built against me. I released a giggle as I fell against the bed with Legolas hovering over me. He lowered his head and gently kissed me.

***End Chapter***

I am so sorry that I haven't posted in a while. My life has been commandeered lately by school work, which thankfully is coming to an end. After Saturday, I will be able to get back to updating more often, as Saturday is when I'm graduating. So please just bear with me for a little while longer of slower updates.

Also, the song in this chapter is _Comme Des Enfants_ by Coeur de Pirates. Really awesome French singer, who I think is absolutely amazing.

Read and Review please


	29. Author's Announcement

Author Announcement

So, I feel really awful about doing this and writing out a message for all of you out there. But I think it's time that I tell what is going on. I am not going to abandon the story, but I have hit a serious wall with writer's block. And adding to that, what little I had of the chapter written, my computer decided that it no longer wanted it. I've been trying to work through it. But let's face it, the sun can be quite distracting. I just thought that I should tell what has been going on. Hopefully I will be able to break down the brick wall in my mind and get the next chapter up relatively soon. Sorry for all of you who have been waiting for an update.

Apologetically,

Serrah


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

***Deirdre's POV***

Blood rushed through my veins at a speed that felt strange, it had been so long since it rushed at this pace through my injured shoulder. Pain seared through my left side as my blade connected with Saffy's. A gasp escaped my lips and immediately Saffy backed away. My lip tucked between my teeth, the faintest hints of blood spilling from my lips as I attempted to halt the pain. I let my arms fall to my sides, barely maintaining the slight grasp I had on my swords.

"Are you alright?" Legolas' worried voice came from just to my right. "I knew that this was too soon for you to be using your shoulder."

After one more deep breath, tasting the copper of my blood in my mouth, I turned toward Legolas. His worried expression did not falter even slightly at the smile that was on my lips, though it probably looked a hint too strained to be believed.

"I'm fine. I just need to get used to the impact." I reassured him, brushing my lips against his cheek in a quick kiss.

"Why do you need to? You don't have to fight when the time comes." He tried to insist.

This had been a conversation that we had shared many times. He never understood why I was so insistent upon wanting to fight in the upcoming battle, and I kept trying to convince him why. That I couldn't sit aside in the safety of Edoras when others were giving their lives for my freedom. If I had learned anything from my time in Middle Earth, it had been about having to take a stand for what you wanted to protect. And as much as he didn't understand, Legolas was one of the people that I wanted to protect the most.

"Legolas, we have had this conversation how many times?" I asked him rhetorically.

He paused for a moment, thinking, before he opened his mouth to tell me the number that he thought. However, I cut him off.

"Can't we just agree to disagree?" I questioned, in a voice barely above a whisper.

"How will I be able to fight when I will be worried that your arm is going to give out? I won't have a chance at focusing." He repeated the argument that he most stood behind. As he spoke he swept some of my hair that had fallen in my face behind my ear.

"Have a little faith in me." I told him with a grin, before moving away from him. "Saffy, are you good to continue?"

After she nodded her head, we resumed our practice. Pain rippled through my shoulder with every movement that I made, but I chewed on the inside of my lips to keep from making a sound. Every day that we continued to practice, my shoulder had managed to last longer in the fighting than the previous day. Undoubtedly, it wasn't the best thing for healing tissue, however given the circumstances it would have to do.

We fought for what seemed like hours, but it probably wasn't anywhere close to that. In the end, both Saffy and I had sweat coating our bodies and soaking into our hair. Between pants, we laughed at one another's appearance.

"Alright, I'm going to go bathe." Saffy informed me, as she sheathed her blades and began walking away from me back toward her room.

I followed her lead and sheathed my blades for the day. However unlike Saffy I had no intention of halting my training for the day. I walked back to my room with Legolas holding my hand.

"Do you want me to draw your bath?" he questioned as we walked into the room.

"I'm going to wait a while to bathe, so don't worry about it." I replied to him, moving over to my corner of weapons.

He came over behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pressing me up against him. The sensation of his breath on my neck was quickly added to by the feel of his lips. Open-mouthed kisses trailed down my flesh, distracting me as Legolas unfastened my belt which held my swords.

"You taste like sweat, melethnin." He informed me, interspersing his kisses throughout the sentence.

There was only one good thing about the amount of arguing we had been doing, and that was the angry sex and the make-up sex. So due to our constant quarrelling both of our libidos were being satisfied. One of his hands slipped under my tunic to rest on the flesh of my stomach. I could feel that he was beginning to tug my tunic off of me, but I wasn't going to let him. No matter how much I wanted to.

"Not right now, darling." I breathed out, while gently bringing his actions to a halt.

"Why not, my beautiful love?" he questioned me, lips barely moving from my flesh.

I turned about in his arms to look at him, he pulled back with a confused look on his face. A wave of guilt washed over me, I had this amazing man who wanted me and I was going to go practice archery. I pressed a soft kiss to his lips, before pulling away and completely out of his arms.

"I still need to work with my bow, love. My shoulder should be up to it by now." I told him, grabbing my bow and quiver and strapping them across my chest.

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard, you are still healing." He argued with me, eyes shifting to the shoulder that the arrow had been embedded in.

"I need to know my limitations, otherwise I will end up entirely spent during the battle." I retorted, voice hardening over the words that we had already spoken.

"Why must you insist on possibly injuring yourself when you don't have to fight?" he growled out, moving closer to me until I was backed against the wall.

"Because I do need to fight, Legolas. We have been over this so many times already." I sighed exasperated that once more we had gotten into this argument.

"Yes, and you never tell me what is so important that you can't stay here and remain safe while the battle goes on."

"What would you say if I asked you to stay here during a battle, while I go out and fight?" I questioned, turning it back onto him.

"I would say that there is no reason for me to stay behind, as you are the injured one and I am not."

"Legolas, it doesn't matter that I'm injured or not. You wouldn't stay behind while I left you even if you were injured." I returned, pushing off the wall slightly so I didn't feel in such a defenseless position.

"Because I should be the one taking care of you, the one protecting you." He insisted, pressing me back against the wall once more, his arms forming a cage to hold me against the wall.

"I can take care of myself, I don't need you protecting me all the time." I responded.

"Well obviously you can't, otherwise you wouldn't have been shot in the shoulder and taken to Isenguard. Because no one knew if you were alright, or if you had betrayed us." He growled out.

The words stung a little, that he had thought I would betray them. He had used this argument before, but each time he did it stung. However, instead of letting the hurt sink in, I turned it into anger.

"And even in Isenguard I took care of myself, without anyone else's help. And how was it at all my fault that I got shot?" I hissed at him.

"You got shot because I wasn't there to protect you." He shouted at me, the noise ringing in my ears.

"But I survived, I don't need you protecting me all the time. Why can't you see that?" I yelled back.

"Because I want to be the one protecting you, don't you understand that I love you." He roared, closing the space between us.

Our bodies were now pressed together, faces only inches apart and the urge to kiss him was stronger than ever.

"I understand that. And I love you too." I told him, before closing those last few inches and kissing him.

Our mouths moved together, fierce and harsh from all the anger that was still in the air. But instead of the feeling to argue, we turned all that energy into passion. Finally, we both pulled away breathless from the furious kiss.

"Don't you see? That's why I need to fight, because I want to protect you too." I told him quietly, before pressing my lips to his softly.

"I know, melethnin." He whispered to me as he pulled away slightly to look me in the eyes.

His beautiful blue eyes finally shown with understanding, maybe we could work this out entirely later. But as that thought appeared in my head, he moved back in and our lips collided once more. The kiss continued and deepened for a few minutes before we both pulled back. Breathing heavily, I moved out of his arms and picked up the bow that I had dropped in our time kissing.

"I'm going to go practice. I'll be back before dinner." I told him, brushing my lips against his soft cheek before heading out of the room.

I walked out of the hall that we were staying in and found an archery field where I could practice. The rest of the afternoon was passed firing arrows into a target and occasionally collecting them. My shoulder continually ached, the new tissue threatening to rip under the pressure that I was dealing to it.

After bathing before dinner, and sitting through the meal with my friends and most of the members of the fellowship, lacking Aragorn. I felt bad that the poor ranger wasn't eating because he was sitting on the edge of the town, watching for the signal from Gondor. With a quick kiss to Legolas, I rose from the table with a tray of food and ale in my hands.

Aragorn was sitting with a pipe in his mouth, staring out into the mountain range and looking thoroughly engrossed by it all. Personally, I couldn't possibly imagine how he had managed to sit here all day long without falling asleep. But then again, I was the kind of person who had to be doing at least three things at once. I took a seat next to him, offering the food to him. Wordlessly, he took the tray and immediately took a spoonful of soup into his mouth.

I watched the horizon where he had been staring at all day, and for the past few days as he had ignored me about waiting a little longer for the signal. I could hear Aragorn eating the food to my side. When he had finished the food, he picked his pipe back up and placed it back in his mouth.

"Thank you." He said, looking briefly away from the horizon to me.

"You're welcome." I replied, thinking for a moment before speaking. "I couldn't imagine sitting out here every day just waiting."

"Someone needs to keep an eye out for the signal, and Theoden isn't too likely to put any of his guards to do so."

"True, he isn't even sure that he wants to help Gondor yet." I responded with a small smile. "But don't worry. When we ride to war we won't be going alone."

"Are you and Legolas still fighting over your going into battle?" he questioned, for someone who had spent the past several days sitting in the same spot watching for a fire in the distance he sure knew enough.

"I think we finally resolved the issues, though I'm not entirely sure." I informed him.

We both lapsed into silence for a little while longer, watching the sunset out on the horizon. At least, I was watching the sunset. It became obvious that Aragorn was still watching for the signal when he suddenly stood up to take off running toward the Golden Hall. However, in his excitement that something was finally happening, his days of sitting here was paying off, he forgot that I was sitting right next to him. So, when he stood up to dash, he tripped over me sprawling us both out on the steps. And let me tell you, having a rather large man fall on top of you when you are sitting on steps is not a happy feeling. The pain that I had felt earlier in my shoulder was nothing comparatively.

"Sorry," he muttered before standing up and rushing off in a full sprint to the Hall to inform Theoden of the change.

I sat up and stretched out my back, which undoubtedly would be bruised in the morning, and then got up from the steps and picked up the tray that I had brought out to Aragorn. I walked slowly back to the Golden Hall to return the tray.

As soon as I walked into the Hall, there was a flurry of motion. Guards were rushing every which way and Theoden was walking through one of the doors with his nephew at his side. I saw Eowyn was rushing out another door and Aragorn was panting in the center of the room with a smile on his face.

"See, I told you that we wouldn't ride to war alone." I commented with a smirk.

He came over to me and gave me a hug, I barely stifled the wince of agony as he touched the areas that were injured in the fall, he pulled away and held me at arms distance with a massive grin on his face.

"I can't wait to tell the others." He told me excitedly.

I smiled back at him, before he rushed off to go talk to our companions and ready for the journey to the encampment. I was sure that we wouldn't ride until morning, so I walked back to my room to find Legolas lying on the bed resting. Walking as stealthily as I could, I approached his sleeping form. When I was right by his side, I tackled him in the bed. He reacted instantly, rolling us over so that he had me pinned to the bed beneath him.

"The beacons are lit!" I informed him with a smile.

Without responding he kissed me fiercely. My hands reached up to tangle in his long hair, entirely grateful that it was the length that it was. My last focused thought was that I wouldn't trade this for anything. And then he pulled away for a moment, looking down at me with dilated pupils.

"Amin mela lle." _I love you._ He told me before crashing our lips back together.

'And I love you, my love.' I thought, wishing that I could tell him with words but not wanting to break apart from the kiss.

***End Chapter 29***

Got the chapter up finally! :D I have to say, this was the hardest chapter for me to write because I didn't know what belonged in it. But I know what is going to happen from here on out, so hopefully I will be able to write it and get back to updating soon. Thanks for sticking with the story so far, even though I haven't really updated in far too long. Oh and tomorrow is my birthday, so if you would be kind enough to review that would be fantastic. -Serrah


	31. Chapter 30

A/N: I own nothing. And oh yeah, Lemons.

**Chapter 30**

**Deirdre's POV**

I suppose somewhere in the world, there are people who have never been on a road trip, people who have never ridden in the car through the night and into the evening of the next day, or spent long hours sitting on their asses. I had never been one of those people. And just like there are those people there are people who have never ridden a horse and felt the pain of sitting in a saddle too long. Well, I had been one of those people up until I had come to Middle Earth, aside from a few short times riding horses with my friend. But, the ride from Edoras to our camp was hell on my ass. At least on the ride from Isenguard, I wasn't weighed down with my clothing, weapons, and armor.

By the time that I dismounted my horse once we had reached the top of the mountain, I was thinking that when I tried to walk there would be some breeze from my missing butt. Unfortunately, there was only the pain of riding a horse in heavy armor for too long.

However, we did manage some luck it seemed. As we had arrived with King Theoden and his entourage, the camp around us was already set up for the most part. But that didn't mean that our personal tents were already set up. Instead, I sat there staring at the tent that was yet to be assembled. It was little more than rope, sticks, and cloth. The only tents that I had ever set up had tent poles, stakes, and sleeves to put the poles through. So I held a stick and the cloth in my hand and pondered how it worked.

"One would think you had never seen a tent before, melethnin." Legolas' voice came from behind me.

"Oh, I have spent plenty of time in a tent before. However, mine always had room for five to ten people and a mud room to take your shoes off in." I responded with a smile, before grumbling. "And doors."

He looked at me with a raised brow, confused at how complex my tent had been. I felt like a spoiled rich child. But instead of saying anything, he just shook his head with a smile and began setting up my tent for me. A frown crossed my face; I knew that it wouldn't be long before our party split once more and approach the battle from two different paths.

After waiting a few minutes longer as Legolas constructed the tent, I rose from my place watching him and wrapped my arms around his torso from behind. He paused in his actions, turning around within my embrace.

"Is this not satisfactory?" he teased me with a smile as he leaned down to brush his lips against my own.

"Actually, I was going to tell you that I'm going for food. I figured that you might be hungry when you finish building our quarters." I smiled, leaning back up to recapture his lips.

I slipped out of his arms when the kiss broke, beginning to walk away from him in hopes of finding something edible. I tossed a glance back over my shoulder to see him smirking at me.

"Be back soon." I called, before disappearing down a make-shift avenue between the tents of the encampment.

I wandered through the camp, finding myself at the entrance to the Dimholt Road. Aragorn was standing, staring down the path. My eyes flashed to where he was looking and noticed a hint of green in the ravine, my head tilted to the side while I tried to figure out if I was actually seeing what I thought I was. Then Gimli's voice interrupted my concentration and Aragorn's as well.

"Let's get some food." He announced gruffly.

"That's one of the best things I've heard all day." I replied to him, and the three of us went off looking for some food for dinner.

After scavenging a couple of bowls of hot stew from one of the men, I knew to avoid Eowyn's cooking; I began my return to where Legolas was setting up our tent.

"Is that for me?" Saffy's voice cut through my thoughts and caused me to almost spill the hot stew on my hands.

Turning to look at her, I saw that she was alone, oddly enough. A smile emerged on my face before I answered her question.

"Sorry, darling. But this is for Legolas." I informed her in a teasing voice.

"Is this how it will be from now on then? You will simply replace me with your latest lover, and forget all about our time together." She feigned hurt.

After shifting the bowls so that I held one in my hand and the other was balanced on my hip being held in place by my arm, I placed my hand reassuringly on her shoulder.

"I will never forget the time that we spent together in my bed." I teased lightly. "I especially won't forget the time that you almost hit me for climbing in."

"I was asleep." She defended. "You came in without warning early in the morning."

"Well, I told you ahead of time that I would climb into bed when I got home and that it would be the early morning when I got there." I justified.

She frowned at that, but it quickly turned into a smile on both of our faces. We continued walking in the direction of where our tents were. After a moment, her face regained its seriousness.

"Are you going to come on the paths of the dead?" Saffy enquired.

I paused in my step; her question had caught me entirely off-guard. My mind had been too busy living up to this point to really concentrate on what would happen when the fellowship would separate from the army of Rohan, leaving only Merry behind to fight with them. My eyebrows furrowed deeply in thought as I walked and Saffy watched my face.

"I honestly don't know." I answered her. "I know that I'm going to fight, but I can't help but think that I would have more use staying here and fighting with the Rohirrim."

It was her turn to frown; apparently she had been hoping that I would go with Aragorn through the paths of the dead.

"You should go with them." I blurted out quickly.

She stopped walking, I turned back to face her and noticed that she was looking both confused and angry at the same time.

"Why?" she questioned. "Why do you always try to separate yourself from us so you can be heroic or help in some way?"

"Because, I couldn't live with myself knowing that if you got hurt it was my fault." I sighed.

"Di, I don't want to see you hurt either. But why do you want to stay here when we know that everything is going to be fine. They won't need you here, Di." She attempted to persuade me.

"But that's just it, Saffy. They will need me here. When Aragorn and the other leave, these people won't have hope. And if possible, I want to help provide them with some. Besides, who knows maybe I could help save a couple of lives." I replied.

Saffy breathed out a sigh of discontentment, but nodded her head understandingly. I patted her shoulder and we kept walking.

"I can't believe that I'm agreeing to this, but alright. You stay here with Merry and the army and I'll go with the others."

"Thanks, Saffy. Take Nimiwen with you, so you don't worry about her here in danger." I suggested.

"And what about Legolas?" she questioned.

I paused in walking once more, knowing that we were almost within elven hearing range and I didn't want him to know what we were talking about.

"Saffy, please can you watch over him. I know he doesn't need it. But it will make me feel better knowing that he has you watching his back." I said in a low voice.

She simply nodded her head and we both continued our trek back to where Legolas was standing outside of a tent. He was staring at it with a proud smile upon his face, obviously glad that he had set up our tent. I wrapped my arms around his waist holding both of the bowls of stew out in front of him.

He took one and pulled to his side so that I still had an arm wrapped around his waist but held my bowl in front of me, his arm went to my shoulder. A glance back over my shoulder told me that Saffy had met up with Nimiwen and the two were heading into their tent.

"Come on in." he bent down and murmured into my ear.

Pushing the tent flap aside, I saw that our bedrolls were set up side by side with no space between the two. I took a step inside and flopped down on one of the rolls and reached up pulling him down beside me. We ate our dinner in silence, heavy with worry about the battle the next day.

"Are you worried about the battle tomorrow?" I asked cautiously, setting our empty bowls aside and leaning back against his chest.

"We don't have as many men as we had hoped for. The chance of winning this battle is not very high." He stated grimly. "You wouldn't reconsider going into battle tomorrow, would you?"

I smiled up at him, my arms going back over behind his head. He drew his fingers through my hair, gently brushing against the tips of my ears. A soft moan escaped my lips, and he smiled down at me amused that he distracted me.

"Sorry, love. But by your will or not, tomorrow I intend to ride out with the rest of the Rohirrim for Gondor." I replied, suppressing the urge to kiss him.

"Are you worried about the battle, melethnin?" he questioned, trailing kisses down my neck.

"Yes, but not enough to discourage me." I replied with a sigh of contentment.

"Maybe I can help you forget your worries, at least for tonight." He commented, bringing our lips together in a fierce kiss.

I spun around in his arm, keeping my lips locked firmly to his as his lip traced my lower lip. Opening my mouth to him, our tongues dueled for dominance tangling wildly. I shifted over him, moving my knees to either side of him so I straddled him. His hands traveled to my back, pulling me to him firmly. A gasp of pain erupted in my mouth from him holding onto the fading bruises that Aragorn's fall had left me with. Legolas pulled away slightly, noticing the slightly pained expression on my face.

"Sorry, love." He muttered, loosening his grip on my back before turning his lips to my neck.

"It's fine." I gasped out as he nipped at my neck.

My hands traveled to his chest, quickly untying the lacing on his tunic before lifting it up and pulling it over his head. His lips returned to mine after the short break, tongues tangling once more. Again, his hand moved to my back and deftly released the lacings before they traveled to my hips griping me tightly against him. I rolled my hips into his eliciting a gasp from the both of us. One of his hands roamed down my leg and began pulling my dress up my legs, skimming across my skin as he did so.

With a small thump, my dress hit the ground next to our bedrolls. Legolas quickly set to work covering the recently exposed flesh with kisses much to my delight. Another sigh escaped my lips before I rolled my hips into his once more. Swiftly, his hands worked at releasing my breasts from the corset and it fell to the ground to join my dress. His mouth moved to my now fully exposed chest whilst I raked my nails across his hard chest, leaving a soft trail of red behind. Rising from my place for a moment, I removed my petticoat and underwear before dropping back over Legolas.

I heard a primal growl escape his lips as I pulled away slightly to get him out of his leggings, a smirk crossed my face as I leaned forward capturing his lips once more. His leggings were only pushed down to his calves before we came together once more. As I entangled my hands in his hair before kissing him, I leaned us forward so that he was lying on his back. Releasing his lips, I set my hands on either side of his head. One of his hands found its way to the apex of my thighs, reaching the wet core. A gasp tore from my mouth, my lips returned to his flesh relishing in the taste as I licked and sucked my way along his collar bone to where his shoulder met his neck. He moaned before lifting me up slightly from him. Growling at the loss of contact my lips abandoned their work on his flesh and my eyes darted to meet his. He smirked at my sound, amused that I wanted our connection. His hand crept up my thigh until he reached my core. I rocked back to a seated position, hoping to allow him more access. But instead his hand left my skin and I couldn't suppress the growl of disappointment. Instead, I felt one of his hands wander to the curve of my waist. Without warning, he pulled me down upon him. A cry escaped my lips as I was impaled upon him, but once I felt him I rose up again before dropping back down. My hands moved to his chest as I continued to rise up and drop back down onto him. Throwing my head back as he brushed against the sensitive spot within me, he thrust up into me and my vision flashed for a moment.

The tension gathered in my abdomen, my rhythm began to falter but his hands remained on my body urging me onward. With a few more of his thrusts my muscles tensed before quivering with my release. His name left my lips like a prayer before he pulled my head down to meet his. He flipped us over so that I was lying beneath him with my legs wrapping around his hips. He pounded into me quickly, mouth leaving mine so he could look me in the eyes as they rolled back in my head with the pleasure. I griped his shoulders, digging my nails in deeply to hold onto him better. Between the massing tension in my core and the more erratic his thrusts grew, I knew the both of us were nearing our peaks again. His brought his lips back to mine just as my climax washed over me and I felt him reaching his peak. Our mutual cries were trapped between our lips.

Rolling over and collapsing next to me, Legolas pulled me to him as we both fell into a light slumber.

My eyes came back into focus to find that I was lying in the tent by myself wearing nothing but my boots and covered in a blanket. With a stretch, I pulled the blanket off of me and redressed. Outside of the tent, the sky had faded to darkness and the only light came from the torches and fires dotting the encampment. The night air was bracing compared to the warmth from inside, so I walked toward the closest campfire pulling my cloak tight around me.

Just as I sat down with the men gathered around the fire who were taking their evening meal, I noticed the disruption coming from the paths of the dead. Men had gathered around to watch three horses ride away from the camp. Weaving my way through the crowd, I watched as my closest friends began riding away.

"Lord Aragorn!" one of the men shouted. "Why does he leave on the eve of battle?"

I stood there and watched as they left. A small smile appeared on my lips as Legolas looked back over his shoulder and his eyes met mine instinctively. For a moment, I feared that he was going to turn his horse around and come back to me there was so much regret burning in his eyes. Instead, I raised my hand in a farewell parting and he nodded before turning back around and riding into the misty darkness.

"He leaves because there is no hope." Gamling remarked flatly.

Whipping around my eyes meet his and he looked pitying for me, that my friends had seemingly abandoned me here.

"He leaves because he must." Theoden corrects, approaching the mass of people that had formed to watch as my friends left.

Gamling at least had the decency to look slightly repentant at what he said, but the words had already left their mark on the men. Then Gamling raised his head back to his king and spoke the words that were burning fear into every man who stood here.

"Too few have come. We cannot defeat the armies of Mordor." He stated quietly.

Silence falls around us once those words left his mouth, fear ripping through the gathered men in tangible waves. I strode from the group and stood before Theoden as he met my eyes with a fierce passion burning behind his.

"No, we cannot." He stated solemnly before his voice revealed the strength and will to fight and leave a mark on the army of Mordor. "But we will meet them in battle none the less."

A smile broke out on my face as I heard him say that, though the fears of the men were not quelled we all would ride out on the morrow, to death and glory.

"We will meet them in battle, and the only thing left of them will be their lifeless corpses." I proclaimed, earning a cheer from the men who stared at Theoden and I.

Theoden nodded his head once in agreement before turning to return to his tent and rest for the coming battle. The crowd dispersed and I walked back over to the campfire and took a seat among the men. A mug of ale was passed to me and I thanked the man who gave it to me before taking a drink.

"Lady Deirdre, do you know any songs of war?" one man sitting round the fire asked.

"Of course, there is war where I am from as well and we have songs for it." I replied to him, earning a grin from several of the men.

"Sing one for us, Lady." A cry went up.

With a nod and one last swig of my ale, I opened my mouth and sang a song about the war. But I doubted it was entirely what they meant when they asked for a war song.

_Hello mother it's been long_

_I'm still here fighting, be proud of your son,_

_My friends are dying, and I just wanna come home._

_The stars are under a different sky, _

_Your prayers must be working cause I'm still alive,_

_This place is so cold and I just wanna come home._

_I'm fighting, I'm bleeding,_

_I know what's coming but I'm still breathing,_

_Not giving up, not losing love,_

_Not running away, I'm not afraid,_

_I miss America, my miss America_

_When does the fighting end, where does our freedom begin._

_Hey there love how have the kids been,_

_Wish I could be there to tuck them in,_

_But freedom is calling while your tears are falling._

_I've seen lines broke in two, _

_Through these eyes red white and blue,_

_I know why I'm here still I just wanna go home._

_I'm fighting, I'm bleeding,_

_I know what's coming, but I'm still breathing,_

_Not giving up, not losing love,_

_Not running away, I'm not afraid,_

_I miss America, my miss America,_

_When does the fighting end, where does our freedom begin._

_My hair stands on its end, _

_Chilling thoughts as I defend,_

_Running for cover, take cover my brother,_

_To die another day as that man I yet waste._

_Hey there son, it's your time to go,_

_I'm so proud, more than you'll know,_

_But freedom aint free and now you're just like me._

_I'm fighting, I'm bleeding,_

_I know what's coming, but I'm still breathing_

_Not giving up, not losing love,_

_Not running away, I'm not afraid,_

_I miss America, my miss America,_

_When does the fighting end, where does the freedom begin. _

_Where does the freedom begin, _

_I miss America, my miss America, _

_When does the fighting end, where does the freedom begin._

As I stopped singing, I looked around to all the men around me whose eyes had filled with sadness and thoughts of home.

"Do you not know any marches or anything of the sort? Something to strengthen the spirits before battle?" another man asked me.

With a smile I looked at the man, nodding my head in response as one of the old marches filled my head.

"I think I have just the sort of song you are looking for." I admitted with my smile intact.

So, I taught the men the march that I knew that my brother and his friends had sung while we walked so many years ago, before they all left for the military. Once the men had learned the words, I finished off the last of my ale and bid my 'goodnights' before leaving them around the fire and heading back to my empty tent and curling up sleep.

Sleep evaded me most of the night, between the facts that I lay alone in my bedroll without Legolas or that the lyrics of the march echoed through the camp in the night it seemed. Either way, it wasn't until the late hours of the night when my eyes lost focus and my mind relaxed allowing sleep to claim me.

**Saffy's POV**

It was well into the night without any source of light but the moon and stars. I had given up the reins and now leaned back against Nimiwen, who could see in the scarce light. So instead of focusing on the journey down the Dimholt road into the mountain, I rested my head against her shoulder and tilted my face into her neck.

"Do you think we did the right thing leaving Deirdre behind?" Legolas' voice carried through the group, it wasn't directed at anyone in particular instead he wanted reassurance.

"Regretting not bringing her along with us on the scary road to find some ghosts?" I teased him, turning my head to look over in his direction.

"Well, not exactly." He replied.

"Then what are you regretting?" Aragorn asked him from his place in the front of our line.

"That I left while she was asleep without saying goodbye." Legolas admitted quietly, probably hoping that none of us would hear him.

"You are out of luck then lad." Gimli stated from his place behind Legolas. "That lass will never forgive you for something like that."

Even in the low light, I could tell that Legolas blanched slightly when he heard Gimli's comment. A small laugh escaped my lips at this.

"Don't worry so much, Legolas. Deirdre may have a temper but just pin her down and kiss her; she won't remember why she was ever mad at you." I assured him, smiling when I saw the hint of relief on his face.

"And how do you know this?" Nimiwen accused teasingly, her eyes leaving the path that we were traveling on to meet my gaze.

"No comment." I answered hastily, knowing that it would result in some more playful teasing from Nimiwen, and maybe a make-out session or two.

Nimiwen hummed in mock disbelief before leaning down and pressing a kiss to my lips. After we broke apart, I nestled back down against Nimiwen and rested my mind as well as I could, knowing that sleep would not be something readily available before we entered into the mountain.

My eyes opened again when I felt Nimiwen shift behind me, her hand moving from the reins and patting our horse's neck soothingly. Looking around me, I noticed that the mist that had been throughout our entire trip through the mountain pass was still prevalent but with the sky beginning to lighten slightly it made the path a little easier to see. All around the pass was dead and rotting trees and bushes, not even grass dared to grow strongly here. A chill ran up my spine as the sight of the entrance into the mountain came into view, the darkness the lay inside seemed to swallow any trace of light.

"What kind of an army would linger in such a place?" Gimli asked as well all dismounted from our horses.

I saw Nimiwen struggling to hold onto the reins of our horse, so I tried to give her a hand while she soothed the animal.

"One that is cursed." Legolas responded, soothing his own horse while Gimli moved away looking toward the entrance. "Long ago the men of the mountains swore an oath to the last King of Gondor, to come to his aid, to fight. But when the time came, when Gondor's need was dire, they fled vanishing into the darkness of the mountain. And so, Isildur cursed them, never to rest until they had fulfilled their pledge. Who shall call them from their grey twilight, the forgotten people? The heir of him to whom the oath they swore. From the North shall he come, need shall drive him. And he shall pass through the door to the Paths of the Dead."

The last of Legolas words sounded as though he was recounting a prophecy and no longer focusing on the world around him. We came nearer still to the entrance, so that the marking around the door could be read.

"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away." Gimli admits.

"Definitely not where I would want to build my summer home." I half joked attempting to break the tension.

Legolas peered at the markings and it seemed that Nimiwen was reading them as well. I reached my hand out and grasped hers, hoping to provide some comfort to the both of us.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead," Legolas read aloud to us, eyes traveling over the markings.

"And the dead keep it. The way is shut." Nimiwen finished reading the words.

Just then a blast of icy air gusted out of the opening, sending a shiver through me and spooking the horses. All three of our horses pulled their reins away from those holding them with a whinny and backing away from the entrance. Eventually, Nimiwen, Legolas, and Aragorn lost hold of their horses, leaving us alone before the entrance with no way to head back to the encampment, for we would never reach them before they left.

"Brego!" Aragorn shouted after his fleeing horse before turning to face the gaping doorway. "I do not fear death."

And with that comment, Aragorn strode into the mountain as darkness engulfed his form. Legolas seemed to be steeling himself before he walked into the darkness after Aragorn. I glanced over at Nimiwen who gave me a reassuring smile.

"Well, better head in or we will be left out here alone." I remarked and with a final glance back at the worried Gimli, we walked into the dark hand in hand.

To say that it was black in here would have seemed an understatement, there was no light penetrating into the depths of the mountain and I wasn't entirely sure how we were going to make our way through without falling off of a cliff and into a ravine. Though one thing can be said for losing one sense, I heard Gimli's words echo into the cave better than I thought I would have.

"Well this is a thing unheard of. Elves will go underground while a dwarf will not." He asked himself in a questioning tone. "Oh, I'd never hear the end of it."

And so he came into the darkness of the mountain after us, while a smile spread across my face. Even in the darkness, it was reassuring to hear Gimli's worries about what people would think of him.

**End Chapter 30**

Hey, sorry that I haven't posted in a while. The song in this chapter was Miss America by Saving Abel. And I'm sorry that you won't get to find out what the March is yet, but that will be in a later chapter. And on a more bittersweet note, my darling Saffy best friend ever is leaving me behind and traveling across the country to go to school while I remain at home. So Congrats to Saffy.

Read and Review, it helps get me through the dark recesses known as writes block.


	32. Chapter 31

A/N: I own nothing

**Chapter 31**

***Saffy's POV***

Thankfully, the darkness had been disrupted by Aragorn lighting a torch. I had never been so grateful to have my pupils shocked by the change in light. After blinking away the shock and slight discomfort, we walked through the innards of the cavern traversing over the paths of the dead. Scattered across the floor were dozens of human skulls and various other bones. Both Legolas and Nimiwen were peering around us, seeming to watch something moving in the air but I couldn't tell exactly what it was. Whenever I tried to look I would see a flash of mist dissipating.

"What is it?" Gimli asked, looking around confused and trying to catch sight of whatever had the elves spooked and wary.

"I can see the shapes of men and horses." Legolas stated plainly, glancing back at Nimiwen who nodded in agreement with what he was seeing.

"What? Where?" Gimli asked as he spun around looking for the shapes that Legolas had mentioned.

"Pale banners like shreds of a cloud." Legolas continued on eyeing around him and telling us.

With a glance over at Aragorn, whose eyes were wide with wariness, we began moving again while Legolas continued speaking as he moved.

"Spears rise like winter thickets through a shroud of mist. The dead are following." Legolas finished eyes following the movements that were too fine for human eyes to follow.

"They have been summoned." Nimiwen spoke to answer any question why the dead now followed us through the dark of the mountain cave.

My hand slipped back into Nimiwen's, our fingers interlacing as we walked through the sphere of light provided by Aragorn's torch. Gimli's voice from behind us began to soften as though he wasn't moving with us and was simply looking around for what he could not see.

"The dead?" he enquired. "Summoned? I knew that. Very good. Very good."

Another second passed by before we could hear Gimli calling out for us, he must have just now realized that while he stood still the rest of us were moving forward and that he had been left there.

As we continued deeper and deeper into the depths of the cavern, the ghosts that surrounded us became more prominent and visible to all in our party. Ghostly green ethereal hands reached out to touch us, encircling our group in their mist. As we strode through the green mist, I glanced back to see Gimli trying to blow the hands away from him so that it couldn't touch him. He even wafted them away with his hand, trying to get them out of his face. We kept walking until Aragorn halted, looking down at the ground that we stand on.

"Don't look down." He warns us.

Now, I know that people always try and do stuff like that to prevent you from seeing some pretty horrific stuff. Like I would tell Di not to move when there was a bee flying next to her head thinking it must be a flower or something, which let me tell you happens quite a lot. But whenever you tell a person not to do something, they do it. It's in our DNA or something.

So when Aragorn said, 'Don't look down'. What did I do? I looked down at my feet to see that we were currently walking over human skulls. Yeah, I can understand why Aragorn had warned us. But having looked down, I couldn't help but shudder at the thought of walking over dead people. Thankfully, we had all been walking rather carefully, as well as the fact that there were two elves among us, so there was little to no fracturing in the skulls that we walked on. Well, there wasn't until Gimli tried to walk carefully.

Sickening crunches echoed through the air, filling the cavern with the sounds of breaking bone grinding together under the feet of a heavy dwarf. Luckily, we managed to move away from the ground that was made up of human skulls and back onto stone. Though I did glance back at where we had walked noticing that the skulls filled a section of path that had been worn away and created a gap. But still who does that sort of thing? I made a mental note to tell Di about this. She was more into the sick twisted macabre sort of shit than me. I just liked my beautiful gothic adornments.

We continued walking around the corner of the path and soon stood in the center of a large open space which contained building, I was guessing that this was pretty much their town square. Standing here though, we were soon met by a ghastly green man whose face was partially rotting. He bore a crown which sat crookedly on his head, and his nose seemed to only be half-attached to his face.

"Who enters my domain?" the man asked, clearly establishing that he was the leader of the dead army.

"One who would have you allegiance." Aragorn responded, taking it completely in his stride that he was talking to the decomposing ghost of a dead man.

"The dead do not suffer the living to pass." The dead man cackled smiling at Aragorn through a half-rotted away mouth.

"You will suffer me!" Aragorn replied with an air of authority about him, he seemed to exude royalty as he spoke to the leader of the dead.

In response the King of the Dead laughed menacingly, sending a cold shiver up my spine. All around us the forms of ghost soldiers swarmed, leaving us in a small circle of space with nowhere to run to. Their weapons prepared to strike all of us down, which was not the most comforting thing. Especially when I thought about how if I attacked them, my sword would pass through the absent body. But if they chose to attack, I knew that we would die at the tips of their weapons. Happy thought.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it. The way is shut." The dead King repeated the words that Legolas and Nimiwen read to us just before we entered into the dark cave. "Now you must die."

The army of the dead moved closer around us, weapons poised to attack. I dropped Nimiwen's hand and instead drew both of my swords, knowing that even if it didn't hurt them at least I would go out swinging. An arrow soared through the air from Legolas' bow, passing through the forehead of the King and leaving a hole for a moment before it closes over and the arrow clattered against stone uselessly.

"I summon you to fulfill your oaths." Aragorn stated, taking a step nearer to the King of the Dead.

"None but the King of Gondor may command me!" The dead King snarled back, coming across menacingly. I think his personal technique of killing people was causing heart attacks.

But still, the King draws a weapon and moves to attack Aragorn. Only to have his blade blocked by Aragorn's sword that he had been given by Elrond. Anduril the blade re-forged from the broken shards of Narsil, sword of the King of Gondor that slew Sauron.

"That blade was broken." The ghost gasped out, shocked that blocking his blow was a blade that had broken thousands of years previously.

"It has been remade." Aragorn answered in a rather threatening tone as he grabbed ahold of the neck of the ghost and shoved him backwards. "Fight for us and regain your honor. What say you?"

The army of ghosts regarded Aragorn as he moved among them with his sword raised next to him. Each of the ghosts moved backwards giving him a respectful amount of space.

"What say you?" he questioned once more, awaiting the response from either the army or their leader.

"Ach! You waste your time, Aragorn. They had no honor in life, they have none now in death." Gimli declared, looking warily at the army that still surrounded our group.

My own eyes wandered over the masses of the deadly army, spying the rotted figures and the weapons that still seemed to almost shine through their misty green form.

"I am Isildur's heir. Fight for me and I will hold your oaths fulfilled." Aragorn announced, in response there were some murmurs of consideration amongst the ghosts. "What say you?"

Spinning around at the sound of laughing once more, we all looked to the Ghost King as the rest of the figures around us slowly began to dissipate and leave the space around us. Finally only the King stood before us with a grim smile upon his opaque face.

"You have my word! Fight and I will release you from this living death!" Aragorn promised to the King. "What say you?"

With one last smile, the King of the Dead disappeared leaving nothing but the slightest trace of green mist where he stood before.

"Stand you traitors!" Gimli ordered into the darkness, attempting to get the figures to return and give their word that they would fight with us.

Instead of the ghosts reappearing, the sound of cracking came from the building in front of us. Before the stone collapsed giving way to thousands of skulls coming crashing down from the building.

"Out!" Aragorn shouted.

Swiftly I sheathed my swords and grabbed ahold of Nimiwen's hand as she ran for the exit helping to guide me in the limited light. Occasionally as we ran a skull or two would bounce over the members of our party as we raced to the exit of the mountain. We slipped out of the cave and out into the midday light of day. Standing outside before us on the path was the leader of the ghost army with a smirk upon his face.

"We will fight." The King declared to us, answered by smiles on all of our faces.

***Deirdre's POV***

Morning, it came far too soon for me that day. The sounds of the camp rising for the day and preparing for the ride brought me from my slumber. My eyes re-focused upon the tent and I rose from out from under the blankets stretching my back until it popped. After dressing in my armor and strapping my weapons on, I left my tent and headed for the horses. My horse Bladen, previously owned by Grima, was standing before me. Around the camp there were men milling about preparing their weapons and horses for battle and making their farewells. I looked down in sadness; there was no one that I would be saying goodbye to. My only close friend here was Merry and he was going to be riding into battle with Eowyn.

With Bladen in tow, I found Theoden just as he was being approached by Eomer. The three of us walked together as Theoden continued giving orders to the men around us and Eomer awaited instructions from his uncle.

"We must ride light and swift. It is a long road ahead and man and beast must reach the end with the strength to fight still." Theoden told his nephew, before his eyes ghosted over me briefly. "You intend to ride to war with my men, do you not?"

"Yes, my lord." I replied nodding my head along with my reply.

"War is not the place for women, you are sure that you wish to take this path?" he questioned, eyes boring into my own.

"With respect, I have at least an equal amount of training to most all of your men. If nothing else, I will be able to take the place of a fallen soldier of yours." I responded, stating as much in a calm manner.

"You will ride with myself then." He informed me before he moved to speak with Merry who was readied for battle and stood before his pony.

"Little hobbits do not belong in war, master Meriadoc." Theoden commented looking down at the hobbit from his place on his steed.

Merry's eyes traveled up to meet Theoden's, the helmet that he wore was too big and the nose-guard covered part of his eyes and down to his upper lip. He looked so small in the armor that I couldn't help but smile at him.

"All my friends have gone to battle. I would be ashamed to be left behind." Merry argued with the king.

"It is a three day gallop to Minas Tirith and none of my riders can bear you as a burden." Theoden responded, looking sadly down at Merry knowing that he was denying him the chance to fight alongside his friends and for peace in the world.

"But I want to fight." Merry tried to get the king to take back his decision.

"I will say no more." Before Theoden turned away and gave me a stern look saying that I was not to take it upon myself to take Merry into battle.

With a sigh, I nodded my head to the king accepting that he could send me back here and forbid me from riding to battle if I disobeyed him.

"Deirdre, you will let me ride with you surely." Merry asked me hopefully, eyes shining with passion.

I dismounted my horse and kneeled down so that I was eye-level with Merry before I shook my head sadly at him to tell him I could not.

"I'm sorry, Merry. But it is not my place to take you into battle." I told him sadly before leaning in to whisper in his ear. "You will ride to Minas Tirith with another. One who will not be watched by the king in case of a Halfling on their horse."

He looked at me confused, but deciding to accept this he nodded his head. I brushed my lips against his forehead, having to push the large helmet out of the way first.

"We will meet in battle, Merry. Do not doubt that." I assured him before moving away and back onto Bladen.

"I will see you again, my friend." I said before riding off to catch up to Eomer and Theoden.

As I rode away, I glanced back to see Merry picked up by a soldier with hair tucked into their armor. I wiped the smile off of my face just before I rode up next to Theoden.

"Form up, move out!" Eomer called out to all the men who began to form ranks. "Form up, move out!"

Theoden moved from the head of the ranks to face the army that had gathered behind us. Of course, this was only going to be the head of the column as the rest of the army would follow behind us when we rode out through the part of the camp on the plains below the mountain.

"Ride! Ride now! To Gondor!" Theoden called out to the troops before turning his horse and leading us down the mountain.

It was going to be a long three day ride to war, my mind couldn't help but wander to what must have been going on with the others. Our fellowship had spread across the world now, each going a different path to help save Middle Earth.

***Saffy's POV***

Morning came to us the next day. We had traveled towards where the mountains met the river, and we would indeed reach the river by mid-afternoon today. I detached myself from Nimiwen and moved to help Aragorn prepare breakfast for our small group, which was going to pretty much just entail taking out the Lembas bread and giving everyone some. Gimli's snores still rang loudly through the morning air.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked Aragorn, warming my hands with the heat of fire so I could function better.

"Surprisingly yes, considering that it was an army of ghosts keeping watch." He admitted quietly, earning him a huff from one of the ghosts nearby.

"Ooh, sorry 'bout that. Maybe you ought to go apologize. I'll take care of breakfast." I assured him, taking the stick from him and keeping the fire going strong.

I sat there for a time, staring into the flames until I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. I turned from the flames to look at Nimiwen, her blues eyes shining at me reflecting the flames from the fire. One of her arms left my waist to brush my hair behind my ear, then she bent forward to press her lips tenderly against mine. A few moments later, we both pulled away but stayed within each other's arms.

"Are you nervous?" I asked her, seeing a hint of worry in her eyes though I knew that she was trying to hide it. She was going to be brave. She was an elven warrior and would face whatever evils came her way with strength.

"Only worried a little for you." She replied her eyes leaving my face to glance over at where Aragorn was talking to the leader of the ghost army. "Although with the army of the dead our chances of defending Minas Tirith are much higher."

"Don't worry, we will all make it out of this battle with little more than a couple scratches. I'm sure of it." I told her, thinking back on the story that I knew so well for but a moment.

"Is that your future knowledge talking or are you just trying to reassure me?" she questioned in a teasing manner.

"That's for me to know and you to find out, maybe." I commented before kissing her quickly once more.

We both pulled away and sat down by the fire, staring into the flames and letting the heat sink into our skin. She reached over and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, so in return I scooted closer into her and entwined my arms around her waist.

"So, melethnin, what is for breakfast this lovely morning?" Nimiwen asked.

Reaching into my pack, I pulled out some of the elvish way-bread and offered it to her. She gave a small smile and took it from my hand before tearing off a small piece and placing it in her mouth. She then handed the bread back to me and I mimicked her movements.

"Ah, Lembas. When will we ever be free of you?" I commented dryly, but I had eaten my bread nonetheless and would be full until the afternoon.

"I take it Lembas is for breakfast again?" Legolas' voice came from behind us as he approached the fire.

"Yep, enjoy." I responded while handing the bread over to him.

"I see Aragorn left you to tend to the fire." He remarked with a smile.

"Kings," I huffed in a joking tone, "he finally accepts responsibility and his birth-right and leaves us commoners to tend to menial tasks like taking care of the fire."

"There is nothing common about you, Melwain." **Dearest.** Nimiwen said softly before nuzzling into the sensitive side of my neck, earning her a squeak.

"Maybe I should go find something princely to do." Legolas jokingly commented as he rose to leave us alone.

"Don't even think about it, Elf." I warned causing him to turn back as though asking what I was going to do if he did. "I will tell Di on you."

He smiled for a second showing a hint of fear about Di's wrath before his smile fell and he sat down heavily. It must have still be bothering him that he had left her behind with the army of Rohan and that she would be going into battle without him.

"Sorry," I apologized for bringing up what must have been a sore subject for him. "But you know she will be fine. It's not like you did anything wrong."

"But I left her behind, I didn't take into consideration that she wouldn't want to be away from us and go into battle as a group." He admitted, feeling sad.

"Seriously, don't worry so much. Besides, it was her choice to stay. She knew that we would be leaving the army and walking the paths of the dead but she wanted to stay behind and watch over Merry and the like." I comforted, moving so that I could lay my hand on his forearm.

"Still, she will be going into battle without any of us to watch out for her. What if she gets injured again?" he replied.

"Legolas, you worry too much." I assured him, looking him in the eye as I said this.

He nodded his head and we stopped talking about such sad thoughts that perhaps Deirdre would not be alright and would be killed before we could bring aid. Instead we finished up breakfast when Aragorn and Gimli returned and put out the fire so we could continue walking and wait for the ships to come.

Most of that day, I spent walking hand in hand with Nimiwen. Our party talked about what we all would do when we survived the war and defeated Sauron. No one voiced the thought that some of us may not survive; instead we focused on the possibility of a beautiful future, free from evil. The sun was sunk low on the horizon when we reached where we could look over the river and watch out for the ships. In the distance, there were black sails sailing down the river in what seemed to be the direction of Osgiliath.

By the time that the ships were passing past the cliff face, we were waiting for them, standing on the ledge at the base of the cliff with weapons drawn. Aragorn moved forward so that he was standing atop one of the large boulders so that he could be seen by the ships easily and called out to them.

"You can go no further!" Aragorn's voice rang out to the black ships swarming with mercenaries.

The men aboard the ships were dark-haired dirty men, looking as though they were pirates. The boson on the lead ship stood up in response to Aragorn's call.

"You will not enter Gondor." He shouted out once more, earning him laughter coming from the men, apparently they did not think that we had the man power to stop them.

"Who are you to deny us passage?" the boson called out, eyeing our group skeptically in a mocking way.

"Legolas, fire an arrow past the boson's ear." Aragorn instructed quietly so that only we could hear it.

Glancing over at Legolas, I saw that he nodded his head before notching his arrow and aiming it so that it would fly past the boson's head without doing any harm. But just as he released the arrow, Gimli moved his axe knocking the arrow off-course. So that instead of being a warning shot, the arrow flew into the chest of the man walking next to the boson and he fell to the deck of the ship. Legolas sent a glare at Gimli for throwing his aim off, while Aragorn looked at Legolas shocked. Seriously, watching the three of them was kind of hilarious, even though Legolas just shot a guy dead.

"Oh! That's right, we warned you!" Gimli called out to the mercenaries with a smile on his lips. "Prepare to be boarded."

"I pray that you are not in charge of negotiations when you are at home." I commented, staring at him in shock and surprise.

This earned me a single laugh from Nimiwen, while Aragorn rolled his eyes before turning back to the mercenaries. Surprisingly, they were laughing at us. Well, not surprising that they laughed that the five of us would board them, but surprising considering that they laughed right after a member of their lot dropped down dead on the deck.

"Boarded?" the boson called out in a laughing voice. "By you and whose army?"

"This army," Aragorn informed them as he raised his sword in the signal for the attack.

From behind us, the King of the dead and his army appeared from within the darkness of the rock and crossed the water to swarm the ships. Several of the mercenaries, fearing the green ghosts that were attacking them, jumped off of the ship into the water. Only to have a couple of the ghosts disappear under the water after them. The screams of death echoed out from the ships as we stood there waiting for the ghost army to bring the lead ship over toward the rock that we stood upon.

After the last of the cries died down, a few of the bodies still falling out of the rigging and into the water below, the ship that we had addressed previously was sailing toward us. Standing at the helm was the King of the dead with a grim smile upon his face. A plank lowered from the ship to the ledge and we filed onto the ship that was crewed by green mist. Once we were aboard the ship pulled away from where we stood and continued down on the course that it had been going before we commandeered it from the mercenaries.

"Get some rest." Aragorn instructed us all once he had finished talking to the dead king. "We will be landing in Osgiliath midday tomorrow."

"Have a good night, Aragorn. And try to get some rest yourself." I told him before I walked away hand in hand with Nimiwen as we found our way to one of the cabins below deck.

**End Chapter 31**

Thankfully I got this chapter finished up fairly quickly, at least compared to the fact that I haven't been able to finish them in less than a couple weeks lately. I apologize if the time seems a little skewed on how far each group is progressing, but I tried to map it out as best as I could.

On another note, LOLL brought up that maybe I should write a story about what would have happened if Deirdre had been taken to Mordor and married Sauron. So, if that is something that you would like to see let me know and I can probably do something like that. Let me know.

Read and Review, please :D


	33. Chapter 32

A/N: So yeah. I don't own anything.

**Chapter 32**

***Eomer's POV***

Three days. It had been three days at a hard gallop as our army raced across the plains to reach Gondor in hopes of preventing the city of Minas Tirith from being taken. The only breaks that we had were the few hours of rest that we halted for when the plains were too dark to navigate through.

I glanced over to Deirdre, who had been riding by my side since we had left Dunharrow, and since then we had talked every once in a while when the sound of the wind alone was unbearable to take any longer. It was getting to be one of those times, though we had slowed down so as to preserve as much of the horses strength before making the charge forward when the White City came into view.

"Do you not fear that you will face death in battle and lose your chance at a life with Legolas?" I asked her, thinking back to our previous conversations when we had talked about what she wanted in life if we were to survive the war.

"I fear the loss of my chance for life with Legolas. But if I should fall, I can only hope that I may die an honorable death in battle." She responded her smile was slightly lacking, covered by the slightest trace of worry in her eyes.

"I doubt that will be your fate. You have faced many dangers and still live to tell the tale." I commented with a smile on my face, hoping the light tone would bring her comfort.

"I'm going to chalk that up to sheer, dumb luck." She said laughingly, her smile wide upon her face.

"Well, you'd better hope that your luck carries then." I retorted, laughing as I spoke.

"And you had better hope that your skill carries you through this battle then, horse lord. For surely it will not be me." She quipped back still laughing.

"My lady, I am quite sure that it will." I informed her, speaking as though I had the upmost confidence that this was true. But I doubted the words even as they left my mouth.

"Never fear, Eomer. There aren't that many Orcs." She commented, teasingly but the care was still there. It helped that she knew the fate of the war and so I took her words seriously.

"I don't know the meaning of the word 'fear', Deirdre." I returned.

"You should have told me that sooner, Eomer." She feigned shock and worry, her eyes opening wide as she gawked at me. "We are riding to war. There is no time to give you a vocabulary lesson."

And with that she spurred her horse to move faster. Looking ahead, I saw the White City of Minas Tirith on the horizon with several Nazgul flying above the city and war machines standing before the gates hurling boulders at the multi-leveled city. The smile disappeared from my face immediately and I rode to my uncle's side, noticing that Deirdre rode beside him as well.

"Form the ranks, it is but a short ride left and Gondor needs our aid." Theoden ordered his captains around him, all of whom nodded their heads and rode to the men to pass the order along. "The time for battle has come."

I nodded my head and glanced over at Deirdre before turning round to call out the order to form ranks.

"Indeed it has, my lord." I heard Deirdre's voice from behind me next to my uncle, her smile shining through her voice. "Honor and glory await us all."

Turning back to face the battle outside of Minas Tirith, I rode to the left of my uncle moving forward with him. The Pelennor Fields came ever closer, until finally we were less than half a league away from the soldiers in front of Minas Tirith. My uncle turned to face me as we halted awaiting his order to charge the enemy.

"Eomer, take your Eored down the left flank." He ordered me, to which I nodded my head and began to turn my horse toward the left flank where my men awaited me.

However, before I could go anywhere I heard Deirdre calling me to stop. I glanced back around to look at her to see her riding up to my side so that our horses were side by side with only a hands-width between them.

"Don't I get a hug before we head off into battle." She chided me, before bringing her arm so that it wrapped around my waist and she leaned in, embracing me with one arm. "Now get out of here. You smell like horse."

Before I could comment she had pulled herself away and began moving back towards my uncle.

"You'd better survive this battle, Deirdre, because I'm going to get you back for that." I called, causing her to turn back and flash a bright smile at me.

Shaking my head, I headed to the left flank. My eyes turned to my uncle, who had just directed the other captains and had sent Grimbold to the right company.

"Flank ready!" I called out, signaling my men to prepare for the ride into the Orc lines.

After a few brief words with my uncle, Deirdre returned to her place in the line amongst the rest of the men. To my surprise she opened her mouth and began singing the march that she had taught all the men around the fire back in Dunharrow. For the first several words her voice came out alone, but then the other men joined in. I stared at her as she sang, her voice had picked up the same accent of my people when she sang and her hair blew wildly around her. She looked like a legend. As though she was an ancient warrior queen come back to help Rohan and Gondor in a time of need. Shaking away those thoughts, I joined in the song as we finished the first verse.

***Deirdre's POV***

Theoden spoke to his men after having sent Eomer to the left flank. I knew that I was going to be in trouble with the Captain when the battle was over, but the comment had successfully worked to lighten the mood a little before we rode to what would be many people's deaths. Finally, once the other captains were dispersed to where they were going to go, Theoden turned to look at me.

"I heard tale that you had a song for battle. Would you sing the first verse or so for the men?" Theoden asked me, which caused my eyes to widen and a blush to spread across my cheeks.

"Of course, my lord." I responded before returning to my place amongst the men.

With one last glance over to my right to see that Eowyn and Merry were only two horses away, I opened my mouth and began to sing the only war march that I knew.

_Axes flash, broadsword swing,_

_ Shining armors piercing ring,_

_ Horses run with a polished shield,_

_ Fight those bastards 'til they yield._

_ Midnight Mare and Blood red Roan,_

_ Fight to keep this land your own,_

_ Sound the horn and call the cry,_

_ How many of them can we make die!_

After the first two lines, the voices of the men around me joined in the march and filled the air. But everyone halted once we finished the first verse. All eyes immediately went to the King as he sat astride his horse before our army.

"Arise! Arise riders of Rohan! Spears shall be shaken; shields shall be splintered, a sword day, a red day ere the sun rises!" Theoden called out to his men as we all awaited the charge into battle and death.

All the spears around me lowered into position so that we could attack the Orcs and break their lines as they held their own pikes in defense of our attack. Having no spear to hold before me, I pulled my bow from my back and notched an arrow in it. My knees tightened on my mount, holding on since I would not have the reins in my hands. Theoden drew his sword out and began riding down the front line of our army clashing his sword against the spears in a rally.

"Ride now, ride now! Ride! Ride for ruin and a world's ending! Death!" he shouted as he rode down the lines.

"Death!" The cry echoed back from every man in the army, my own cry for death leaving my lips and meshing with the men around me.

"Death!" Theoden called once more. Earning the same reaction calling for death to come to the field, whether it is our own or the death of the Orcs before us.

"Death!" he called one final time, earning the same response. "Forth Eorlingas!"

The sound of our horns blaring was the signal for every man to race forward, urging our horses into the spears before us. As soon as we began racing toward their lines, an arrow flew from my bow striking down the first Orc in the line before. My hand flew back to my quiver, before notching another arrow and sending it into the line once more. In my head I began counting my kills as I launched three more arrows into the line before me prior to having to draw my swords and our lines crashed together in a fierce collision of blood and death. Screams erupted from the injured parties, mixing the sounds of pain between the Orcs and the men who fell to their pikes.

_ Follow orders as you're told,_

_ Make their Yellow blood run cold,_

_ Fight until you die or drop_

_ A force like ours is hard to stop_

The march continued in my head and I think some of the men must have taken up the march once more. My blades sliced through the necks of two more Orcs.

Ten. Eleven. Twelve. I counted internally, leaving behind me a trail of lifeless Orcs. More and more Orcs fall to my blades leaving nothing but their blood staining my blades and the ache of pain in my hand and shoulder. Thirteen. My eyes flicker to Eowyn and Merry who are striking down the Orcs as they also charge over the lines. Fourteen. Fifteen. Arterial spray spurted from the severed artery in the neck of the Orc that I just sliced across the neck, black blood splashing onto my face.

_Close your mind to stress and pain,_

_ Fight 'til you're no longer sane,_

_ Let not one damn cur pass by,_

_ How many of them can we make die!_

Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Blades flying through flesh and screams of the dying mixing with the gurgle of dying breaths through throats that were now slicked in their own blood. Our company had torn through the lines of Orcs like the water of the river Isen did when the Ents broke the dam. Nineteen. Twenty.

"Make safe the city!" Theoden called, directing us to herd the Orcs toward the river where they could no longer assault the city.

My eyes raced upwards at the sound of a foreign horn being blown. There had been a chance that we would destroy the army of Orcs by the end of the afternoon, as our numbers outdid theirs and we plowed through their lines. But as I looked up and saw the arriving reinforcements for the enemy, which consisted highly of Oliphants now, I couldn't help but feel fear that we would lose the battle. Twenty-one. Thundering footsteps heavier than any horse came from the approaching army.

"Re-form the lines!" Theoden bellows, causing everyone to abandon what they were doing and head back to form the lines once more. "Re-form the lines!"

Twenty-two. I rode back to where Theoden was, finding my place in line beside Merry and Eowyn. I glance over hesitantly at them, wanting to make sure that they were fine. I met eyes with Merry, who nodded his head and gave me a weak smile.

"Sound the charge! Take them head-on. Charge!" Theoden roared out, along with the sound of a horn being blown by one of the men.

I tightened my hold on my swords, before placing the reins between my teeth in hopes that I would be able to steer when we charged towards the massive beasts. Twenty-three. A stray Orc moved ahead of me and I severed its head from its shoulders.

_Guard your women and children well,_

_Send these bastards back to hell,_

_We'll teach them the ways of war,_

_They won't come here anymore._

Before our lines came the Oliphants, swinging their heads back and forth creating a deadly pendulum with their tusks. Twenty-four. Another Orc met its end to my blade and in return pain shot through my hand. Ignoring the sounds of those dying and being thrown off of their horses by the swaying tusks, I ride forward urging Bladen hastily when I have the most time and made it past the point where their tusks would have clashed with me. I glanced over to my right and saw Eowyn and Merry riding between the legs of the Oliphant beside the one that I rode beneath. My swords flashed out and slashed into the back of the knees of the Oliphant sending its head down toward the ground. I mimic the movement again on the back legs, knowing that Eowyn had done the same thing. Twenty-five. Although I still think that Oliphants should count for more than one.

_Use your shield and use your head_

_Fight 'til everyone is dead_

_Raise your flag up to the sky_

_How many of them can we make die!_

Haradrim fall from the downed Oliphant and my blades flash through them as they struggle to stand from the ground. All around me are the mutilated of corpses of warriors that went into battle. One of the Oliphants rears up, being shot in the head by several of the Rohirrim and as the people roll off of its back, I slice my way into them. Twenty-six, seven, eight, nine. Thirty. I keep count as their blood splashes onto my armor and mount. Thirty-one. Thirty-two. Thirty-three.

Distant calls from the King and for Merry came from around me, but I paid them no heed. A dark shadow passed over where I rode, as I continued to slice my way through the enemy. Thirty-four. Thirty-five. Dang that one was a bleeder, the dead Haradrim's blood smattered my face.

Turning back around I rode toward where the rest of the army fought, I let my swords sever spinal columns from behind. Thirty-six. Thirty-seven. An Oliphant tail whipped past me, knocking into my side and tossing me from Bladen, who ran off trampling another couple Orcs. Rolling to my feet, I could see Theoden in the distance still on his horse. Thirty-eight. Thirty-nine. Forty. Block and slash. The guttural cry of a dying man who is holding his entrails in and trying to stay alive rang from beside a fallen horse. Forty-one.

"Merry!" I hear Eowyn call; I glanced over to her see her fighting several Orcs around her.

Forty-two. Forty-three. Mixing with the Orcs around me were Haradrim. I leaned backwards, avoiding the sword of one of the Orcs which sliced through the air where my throat had been. Forty-four. Ducking below the blade level, I plunged my sword up into the gut of the Orc that attacked me. Forty-five. My leg swiped backwards, knocking a Haradrim off of his feet before I slammed a blade through his chest. A short ways away from me, Merry was fighting several Orcs and Haradrim even once he had been lifted from the ground he stabbed his short sword into the throat of the man who held him. Forty-six. Forty-seven. More corpses piled up around me. I jumped up onto a small pile before slamming down throwing my weight into the back of one of the Orcs and knocking it to the ground. Forty-eight.

About fifteen feet to my right was the body of the Nazgul mount, its neck stretching out to taste the flesh of a pinned Theoden. Forty-nine. Fifty. My swords continued to cut through flesh, ending lives with every thrust. Fifty-one. Fifty-two.

_Dawn has broke the time has come,_

_Move your feet to a marching drum._

_We'll win the war and pay the toll_

_We'll fight as one in heart and soul._

A blow to my right arm made me lower the arm before I sent my left sword through the face, sticking out of the back of the Orcs head. Fifty-three. Fifty-four. My swords swung around me in a whirlwind motion, slicing through more flesh. Fifty-five. Fifty-six. Fifty-seven. My breath came out ragged after a Haradrim sent his fist into my stomach. I doubled over, before swiping his legs out from under him and sending my sword into his chest.

From my left, a horse came racing past. It's rider throwing a spear into the chest of a nearby Orc. I threw myself to the side, rolling on the ground to avoid being trampled as another of the horses passed through where I had stood moments before. Fifty-eight. Driving my sword upwards as I came out of the roll and passing through the flesh underneath its chin and up through its head. Momentum carried me to where I tripped over the body of a downed Haradrim and went tumbling until I crashed into the lifeless body of the Nazgul mount.

The world around me spun, as I slowly rose from the ground before slicing through an Orc that tried to sneak up on me from behind. Fifty-nine. A Haradrim approaches, only to be sliced through with both of my blackened swords. Sixty.

At the front of the Nazgul mount is Eowyn as she dodged the mace that the Witch King had brought down to crush her. She dodged a few times, while I fought to reach her cutting down three more Orcs in my path. Her cry of anguish makes me turn to look at her as she cradled her arm in her hand that had been smashed when she blocked the mace's blow with her shield. The dark shape of the witch king towered over the woman dressed in the guise of a soldier of Rohan. Finally, my path to the witch king is clear and I race up behind him.

_Midnight Mare and Blood red Roan_

_Fight to keep this land your own_

_Sound the horn and call the cry,_

_How many of them can we make die!_

"Fool. No man can kill me." The dark voice hissed out from behind its shadowed mask. "Now die!"

I plunged my swords through the small spaces between the plates in his armor, sheathing my blades in his dead flesh. Beside me, Merry stabbed his sword into the back of the wraith's knee. Pain erupted from my hands, but I gripped the hilts as hard as I could, refusing to let go and allow him to move. Merry, not expecting the force to throw him back, released the hilt of his sword as it burns into his flesh leaving pain racing through his arm. The same pain cuts through my bones, making them grind together and I bite harshly into my lip to keep control of my limbs. Blood trickled down from my mouth and the taste of iron pooled on my tongue.

"Now Eowyn." I called, urging her to finish the wraith as I knew my strength was mere moments from leaving me.

She rose and tore her helmet from her head, staring into the empty void where his face would be. Raising her sword ready to plunge it into his face, she did not waiver as she spoke.

"I am no man." She declared.

A fierce battle cry came from her lips as she stabbed her sword into the mask, slicing through the back of the head and I moved to the side to avoid being killed by her blade as well. However, I wasn't quite fast enough. Pain erupted along my cheek as I felt her blade slice cleanly through my flesh, scraping against the bone. Pain erupted in her arm, as she pulled her sword free and was thrust back by the last of the force that the witch king had. Which not only sent her back, but as his mask crumpled into a ball of jagged metal, his body exploded out with a shock wave, the same body that my own swords were still sheathed in.

I flew backwards, smashing harshly against the ground and losing my breath. A scream ripped through my throat as my own swords pierced my flesh, tainted with the black blood of the Nazgul King. Driving into my left shoulder and along the edge of the right side of my waist, I lay on the brown field with my swords protruding from my body as I felt agony consume me.

_Axes flash, broadswords swing_

_Shining armors piercing ring_

_Horses run with a polished shield_

_Fight those bastards 'til they yield._

_Midnight Mare and Blood red Roan_

_Fight to keep this land your own_

_Sound the horn and call the cry_

_How many of them can we make die!_

**End Chapter 32**

Sorry about not having any Saffron in this chapter but it felt more natural for this one to just be from Deirdre's POV. So sorry if you want some more Saffy, but never fear for her part of the story is coming in the next chapter. The song in this chapter is the March of Cambreadth and it's something that my brother and his friends used to sing.

Please Review XD Reviews make the author post faster.


	34. Chapter 33

A/N: I don't own anything.

**Chapter 33**

***Saffy's POV***

Morning had come and still we stood on the deck of our stolen ships waiting to arrive at Osgiliath so that we could head into battle and help Gondor. I stood along the railing, with my weapons and armor strapped on and a piece of Lembas in my hand as I stared out in the direction that we were heading.

"You're worried about her." Nimiwen's voice broke through my silence and I looked away from the empty waters and the distant buildings of Osgiliath.

"Yes. Undoubtedly, she will be racing into battle even as we speak." I responded looking into Nimiwen's blue eyes while my own filled with worry.

"You and Deirdre know more about what will happen in the battle than any other. Yet you still fear for her. Do you doubt her and think that she would put herself in a position where certain death was all that awaited her?" she asked, brushing my hair aside and behind my ear in a movement that she knew soothed me.

"I do know what is going to happen though. All of the people dying. I may know the fate of some of the people, but many others like Deirdre I do not know and I cannot help but worry." I replied, my gaze turning back out onto the misty waters.

In the distance, there were docks with broken buildings burning above. I could somewhat make out the shapes of what had to be Orcs along the side of the docks. They were waiting for the mercenaries to come as reinforcements.

"Deirdre will be fine. You need to focus on the battle ahead, otherwise you may find yourself injured by an Orc." Nimiwen reminded me, wrapping her arms around my waist as we both looked on to the broken city ahead.

It was nearing midday when we were finally close enough that we ducked down to hide ourselves behind the railing. Aragorn held his finger to his lips to tell us all to be quiet and we followed his orders.

"Late as usual, pirate scum." A rough voice that belonged to an Orc called out from the dock where the ghosts had stopped our ship. "There's knife-work here that needs doing. Come on, you sea-rats. Get off your ships."

I pressed a quick kiss to Nimiwen's lips before turning to see Aragorn with a smirk on his face. He was the first to rise up from behind the railing and jump off of the ship onto the dock in front of the Orcs, quickly followed by the other four of us.

Drawing both of my weapons, I looked to see that the Orcs looked shocked to see only five people leave the ships and none of us looked like pirates. With a vicious sneer the leader of the Orcs motioned with his head to advance on us. Confidently, we strode forward following Aragorn who was swaggering forward with his sword held high.

"There's plenty for the both of us." Gimli commented with a smile in his voice. "May the best Dwarf win."

The five of us advanced on the army of Orcs before us, watching as they turned from confident to fearful when the army of the dead passed our group and advanced on them. The sound of arrows flying past came from both where Legolas and Nimiwen were as we moved in battle. Several of the Oliphants were taken down by the ghost army as they swarmed them like ghastly green maggots. My swords worked as extensions from my arms as I sliced my way through the army, leaving behind me a trail of corpses and black blood dripping from my swords.

"Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen." Legolas counted aloud as he sent his arrows into Orcs and Haradrim and they fell to the ground dead.

The shape of a grotesque Orc with tumors and growths covering up most of his features, so that he looked kind of like a pig, stood over a fallen warrior on the ground beside the corpse of the Nazgul mount with his sword raised to deal a death blow. I assumed that Merry was near here, as was Eowyn but they would be found after the battle when Eomer and Pippin came out looking. Right now, my mind was more focused on the battle as the misshapen Orc was slain by a combination of Legolas and Gimli. Both of whom looked at the other with a look of annoyance for taking their kill. I rolled my eyes as I plunged a blade into the neck of an Orc.

"Legolas!" Aragorn called out, his eyes focused upon the Oliphant that was headed straight toward us.

Without responding, Legolas raced over to the Oliphant and began scaling its hind leg using the arrows that were stuck in its hide as steps. I turned away, slicing through a few more enemies before I heard the crash as the massive structure that had been built atop the Oliphant to hold its passengers fell to the ground. Turning, I watched as Legolas shot a couple arrows into the brain stem of the beast before he slid down its trunk and landed with a smirk on his face before Gimli.

"That still only counts as one!" Gimli gruffly growled at Legolas before turning away and killing an Orc with his axe.

I laughed as I plunged one of my swords into another Orc's chest while I blocked another blow with the other. I moved so that I stood behind the Orc that had tried to kill me and dragged my sword across its throat slitting it open and causing the blood to pour out.

We continued to cut our way through the army leaving death and destruction behind us among the ranks of the Orcs. Between the three forces, Rohan, Gondor, and our dead army the armies of Mordor were almost entirely annihilated. Looking up at the White City which had been blackened by the fire and destruction, all the damage seemed to disappear as I watched the green army cover over cleansing the city of the Orcs that had breached its walls.

The sounds of battle died down as all of the Orcs were finally finished off. I raced over to where I had seen Nimiwen; she had just put her bow back onto her back when I arrived. Rushing into her arms we embraced as the other members of our party gathered around us. After pressing a kiss against her lips, I pulled away with a smile on my face and began looking her over for injuries.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I haven't seen you in a while." I heard Pippin's voice coming from a short ways away.

I pulled out of Nimiwen's arms and raced over meeting him as he ran to embrace me. I picked him up and spun him around as we hugged. Then when I put him back down, I smoothed his hair out the way, checking him over for injuries as well.

"I'm so glad to see you." I told him, hugging him once more.

"Release us." Came the voice of the King of the Dead, he and his army had gathered around our group on the battle field waiting for freedom.

"Bad idea," Gimli commented to Aragorn. "Very handy in a tight spot these lads, despite the fact they are dead."

At his words, the king of the dead snarled at Gimli before turning his gaze towards Aragorn, practically begging for him to release them with his eyes.

"You gave us your word." The king reminded Aragorn, wanting so badly to finally be able to rest in peace.

"I hold your oaths fulfilled." Aragorn announced, looking at the dead king. "Go now, be in peace."

Returning to Nimiwen, I wrapped my arms around her as we watched the army of the dead slowly dissipate with smiles on their faces. Within seconds they were gone, leaving nothing but the corpses and wounded behind.

"Come, it is time to look for our friends." Gandalf declares, his eyes ranging over our group and not seeing Deirdre or Merry with us.

**Deirdre's POV**

Pain. The world was nothing but pain. I was currently at the point where I was wondering when I was going to have bled out enough to at least pass out, hoping that maybe that would be a temporary relief from the pain. But even though I could feel the blood leaking out of my body and slowly staining the ground beneath, it was not enough to let me pass into a pain-free sleep. At first it had been simply a wave of agony, encompassing my entire being. But now, I could feel the agony in every single cut. Feel the way that my muscles shifted around the blades that sliced through my flesh. I could even feel the bones in my hand grinding against one another in protest as I attempted to move my fingers. I closed my eyes to block out the brightness of the sun and hold back the tears from the pain that were forming in my eyes.

"Deirdre!" A male voice called, but I was too focused on blocking out the pain to be able to identify who was calling for me. "Deirdre!"

Every time that the voice called I moved farther and farther from the realm of sleep. That was where I wanted to be the most, anything to kill the pain that filled my body. Footsteps moving closer to me and the voice calling my name grew louder.

"Deirdre!" He called once more, growing louder as he raced over towards me. "Oh, Deirdre. Wake up, please. You have to wake up."

My eyes fluttered open, hoping to find Legolas looking down at me, comforting me. But once my eyes adjusted to the bright light, it was not Legolas that I saw. Instead, Eomer was by my side, holding my face in his rough hands.

"Can I go back to sleep now?" I questioned in a voice that sounded like gravel and nothing like my own.

"Deirdre, stay with me. I'm going to get you some help. But you need to hold on." Eomer insisted, slapping my face slightly as my eyelids drooped.

"Eomer?" I questioned causing him to smile and lean forward more. "You still smell like horse."

He laughed at this before his eyes regained their serious tone. A thought struck me then. If he was here watching over me, then who was finding Eowyn, after all she was in worse shape than I was.

"That right there is why you have to stay awake. I still have to get some payback for your insults." He smiled down at me sadly. "I'm going to go get you some help."

He stood up to leave me but I raised my right arm, grabbing onto his ankle. Pain seared through my body, blinding me temporarily, my blood spilling faster from my side as I moved.

"No. Theoden. You need to go see Theoden." I insisted, making him drop back down to his knees beside me and stare me straight in the eyes with a worried expression. "Theoden. Dead. Eowyn injured by his side."

My sentences were growing choppier as it took more effort and pain to talk now than it did before. His eyes snapped away from me and began surveying our surroundings looking for his sister and uncle. When his head stopped turning, I figured that he had found where they were. He looked back down at me, torn between keeping me conscious and going to his family.

"Go!" I urged him as strongly as I could. "I'll just be here resting."

He nodded his head before disappearing over in the direction that he been looking in. My breath left me as I closed my eyes once more, not wanting to feel the pain I tried to quiet my mind so that I could rest. Just as I was on the brink of sleep, a familiar voice jarred me awake.

"Deirdre!" Saffy's voice called. "Oh god, Legolas I found her."

I heard Saffy kneel down by my side, her hands automatically going to hold my face as most of the rest of my body was injured in some way, mostly from my swords and the shrapnel from the Witch King. Seriously, he exploded like that pile of stakes in the carriage in Van Helsing.

"Di," she called once more turning my head to face her. "Come on, Di. Wake up. Don't you dare leave me here."

My eyes cracked open and I looked up to see Saffy leaning over me, her blue eyes filled to the brim with barely held back tears and her cheeks were still flushed, probably from the fight.

"I aint going anywhere." I responded in a dry voice, my eyes lingered on her tears and I frowned. "No crying now. I'm not going to cry and you're going to make me here."

She nodded her head silently and moved her hands so that she was holding onto my right hand, while it didn't hurt as much as it would have if she held my left but it still wasn't exactly a happy feeling. Saffy gave me a watery smile as she held my hand and her eyes ranged over my injuries taking them all in.

"Please don't laugh that I got stabbed by my own swords." I mumbled, my voice growing weaker as finally the world around me began to grow dark. The edge of my vision was turning black.

"I wouldn't dream of it." She replied, giving me her best attempt at a smile.

My eyelids fluttered a little, the blood loss was finally getting to me. It had been flowing in a steady stream with a hint of acceleration every time that I breathed. Just as my eyes were losing focus and about to shut, I saw a trace of blonde hair that I was almost positive was Legolas.

"I love you." I whispered right before my eyes closed and I gave way to the darkness for a reprieve from the pain.

***Saffy's POV***

Legolas was finally coming over, he had been searching through a pile of bodies several hundred feet away looking for Deirdre, but when I called he began rushing over. I glanced down at Deirdre one last time, giving her a smile to let her know that Legolas was on his way. And just as he arrived, she looked at where he was and whispered "I love you" before closing her eyes.

"No, Di! Wake up, DiDi you are not allowed to go to sleep. Come on, wake up." I yelled smacking her cheeks lightly but it did no good. Her eyes remained shut and her breath was coming irregularly.

"Deirdre?" Legolas asked his eyes filling with tears as he caressed her face, trying to get a response out of her. "Wake up. It's going to be alright. Don't worry, we are going to take care of you."

"Aragorn!" I called out, looking up to find our ranger friend a little distance away. "Aragorn, help!"

Aragorn rushed over, looking down at Di worriedly as he eyed the swords that protruded from her flesh. He dropped down to his knees and immediately set to work on the sword that was lodged in her side. Thankfully, I don't think that it pierced her organs at all and only sliced the very edge of her side.

"Saffron, when I pull the sword from her side I need you to put pressure on the wound to try and stop the bleeding. Can you do that?" Aragorn asked, going entirely into professional medic tone.

I nodded my head and as soon as he pulled the sword out my hands raced to where the wound was, trying to staunch the blood with my hands. As soon as my hands were in place though, I noticed that the blood wasn't flowing. I carefully lifted one of my hands to look at the wound. Instead of it being red and leaking blood, over the wound was a layer of congealed black blood.

"Aragorn, look at this." I showed him the wound and his face darkened.

Within a second, he yanked the other sword from her shoulder and we watched in amazement as it congealed with the same black blood as the other wound.

"Let's get her inside to the house of healing and see what they can do to help her." Aragorn instructed, as Legolas picked her up and we began our trek into the city to find the houses of healing.

**End Chapter 33**

There it is, hope that you won't hate me for leaving it off with Deirdre like this. The next chapter will be up within the next week.

Read and Review please XD


	35. Chapter 34

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 34***

**Saffy's POV**

Nimiwen and I were walking back into the Houses of Healing to see Di again. She had finally convinced me to get some rest sometime in the early hours of the morning, but now that I had slept we were heading back to wait by my friend's side in hopes that she would wake. I pushed open the door to DiDi's private room, as she was deemed a case that was more wait and see rather than actually needing constant supervision, and saw Legolas was still in the exact spot that he was before I left the night before.

His shoulders were slumped and his shape was hiding DiDi from sight. Hesitantly, I walked forward after releasing Nimiwen's hand and approached the silent elf. He jumped when I settled my hand on his shoulder, before he looked over at me. Dark circles were beneath his eyes, making it look like he hadn't slept in weeks instead of just the previous day by Di's side. There was a look of utter despair on his face, which made my eyes travel to the form of my sleeping friend.

Well, maybe sleeping was the wrong word for it. If there wasn't the slightest movement of her chest, I would have thought that she was a corpse. Her skin had turned a chalky white as though blood no longer flowed through her veins. The wounds on her cheek, shoulder, and side had not been bandaged as there had been no need. Instead, it was easy to see the black spreading out from the injuries, seeming to taint her from within with the evil of the Nazgul. Dark circles even worse than Legolas' surrounded her eyes making them look sunken in, but that was the only color on her face it seemed as even her lips had turned fish-belly white.

"N-no change then?" I asked, stuttering over the words as tears filled my eyes.

Legolas looked away from me and focused his eyes back on Deirdre, before shaking his head. His hand tightened on her right one and he lowered his head to rest on the bed beside her. I moved from his side so that I could take a seat on the edge of the bed beside her head. My hands brushed her hair away from her face, feeling her cool flesh. With a wince, I made sure that my hand no longer touched her bare skin and instead ran through her hair again and again.

We stayed this way for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Nimiwen left at one point and came back to the room with two trays of food, one for each Legolas and me. But neither of us ate much more than a few bites. Finally, when it was well into the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set on the horizon, Aragorn and Gandalf entered the room. Both wore contemplative looks on their faces, as though they had no idea how to help our companion.

Aragorn went around to the other side of the bed, wetting a cloth before attempting to clean her shoulder once more. Each time he swiped the cloth across the gash, he was rewarded with a little more of red blood. But never did the black begin to flow from her wound.

"How is Merry doing?" I asked. Finally breaking the quiet that had filled the room aside from the sounds of Aragorn dipping the cloth in the water time after time until the water was colored red.

"He woke briefly this morning, before he fell back asleep. He should be up and moving around within a few days." Aragorn responded, briefly looking away from the unconscious Deirdre. "Pippin is staying with him still."

"And Eowyn?" I questioned, my mind temporarily straying from Di before I glanced back down at her cold form.

"Resting as well, the Athelas seemed to help her. Eomer is keeping her company while she sleeps. The fever will pass her soon, but she will need to stay in bed for at least a week." Aragorn informed me, his hands kept working over Deirdre cleansing her wound repeatedly with no difference.

"When will Deirdre wake?" I questioned, hoping that Aragorn would have an answer.

Legolas looked up from Deirdre to stare at Aragorn, awaiting his friends answer. Aragorn continued staring down at Deirdre as he moved from her shoulder to her cheek where Eowyn's sword has sliced.

"I don't know, Saffron. But we shall hope that it is soon." He answered, sighing sadly as he stared down at her.

"All we can do is hope that she is strong enough of body and spirit to combat the taint of the Witch King." Gandalf commented, adding his voice to the conversation. "Never before have I heard of anyone being touched by the blood of the Nazgul. And being stabbed with a sword covered in its' blood is unheard of."

"She will wake though," I pressed hoping that they would reassure me. "We just have to wait for the infection to leave her."

Gandalf breathed out a heavy sigh and Legolas dropped his gaze back to my best friend. One of his hands left hers and caressed the side of her face.

"I don't know, Saffron. All we can do is hope and try to clean the infection away." Gandalf finally replied before he strode closer to the bed. "Tessa du, sira n'uma ner." **Hold darkness, flow no more.**

The last words that he spoke sounding like a spell, as he said them with his hand raised over her. Unfortunately, when I looked once more at the black stains on her flesh they appeared the same. The black was still spread from the wound like it had been for Frodo's shoulder when he was wounded by the Nazgul.

Shortly after, Aragorn and Gandalf both left the room once more, going to attend to the other people in the Houses of Healing who they could probably help. But Legolas and I stayed sitting by DiDi's side for the rest of the day, with the occasional company of Nimiwen who brought the both of us food and would stay with us for a while.

**Deirdre's POV**

Pain had left me as soon as I found myself on a familiar stretch of beach. The smile that shone across my face didn't need to be restrained. Not only was I no longer in any physical pain, but I was by the sea. The waves crashing against the shore sent a yearning in my chest to be in the cold embrace of the salty waters. And I gave in.

My skin was freezing and I had to constantly keep moving, but it was definitely worth it. Throwing myself under the waves once more, I came up and wiped the water from my eyes to reveal the same elf on the shore. I had half a mind not to bother leaving the water and staying out here, in hopes that he might give in and come play in the water. But I knew that wasn't going to happen. So, reluctantly I caught a wave and swam with it back towards the beach.

The water dripped off of my soaked nightgown, and I had to admit I was a little shocked that I wasn't still in my armor from the battle. I shrugged that off quickly and instead chose to take a seat on the sandy beach.

"Are you sure that I can't persuade you into playing in the water?" I questioned him, already wanting to return to the cold salty spray. "It's a lot of fun."

With a smile, he shook his head and chuckled slightly before responding. "I should have known not to bring you back here. But I thought you may as well enjoy the scenery."

"Well, if you aren't here to play in the wonderful water. Then what are we doing here?" I asked him, my eyes wandered away from the sandy beach and back towards the waves crashing against the shore and the occasional rock in the water.

"You're dying, Deirdre." He informed me, sounding as though he said things like that every day. Then again, maybe he did.

"Oh." I managed to get out, all other thoughts of conversation had been put on pause.

I wasn't really sure that it was fair that I was dying and spending the last of my time with him instead of the people that I loved. But apparently, I wasn't getting time for goodbyes.

"Is that really your only response?" he inquired.

A frown marred my face and I let out a heavy sigh before resting my chin on my knees, wrapping my arms around my legs as I did so. Suddenly, the waters that had been so calming weren't. Instead of wanting to be in the ocean like I always did, even when I hadn't heard the sounds of the waves crashing gently against the shores in a long time, I wanted to be back in Gondor in pain from being stabbed with my own swords and spending times with my friends.

"I'm not sure how else you expect me to respond. I don't want to die. But I suppose I should have thought of that before stabbing the Witch King." I replied, trying to sooth the ache in my chest with brave words.

"You are truly fascinating, Deirdre." He commented, his eyes must have been fixed upon me, for I could feel the sensation of being watched. "Since you were injured performing such a great act for Middle Earth, I will grant you one of your desires."

My gaze turned from the waters and fixed upon the elf sitting in the sand next to me. I could feel that I had a skeptical expression on my face, but could he really blame me. Yet, a small part of me still hoped that he was telling the truth and so I thought about what it was that I truly desired.

"Will they be alright without me?" I asked instead of giving him an answer. "I mean, will they forget about me eventually and go on living and being happy?"

"Some would, yes. However, Legolas will probably fade if he does not leave the shores of Middle Earth and find peace from his grief in Valinor." The elf responded.

I shook my head, it wasn't fair that he would have to suffer for me being stupid and going off and dying.

"I don't want any of them to suffer because of me. Can that be my desire that you grant? That all of my friends don't suffer and can continue to live happily in Middle Earth?" I questioned, my voice became light hoping that he would not deny me this.

The elf grew quiet, eyes wandering over my face as though ensuring that I was sincere in my desire now. Finally, he looked away and out over the water for the first time since we sat down to talk.

"There is only one way that your desire could be accomplished. But I must ask, are you willing to do whatever it takes for your friends and loved ones not to suffer? Even if it means that you will suffer and be in pain in their stead?" he asked, looking me straight in the eye to ensure my determination.

"Yes."

We both looked at one another with faces entirely serious, as though he was going to cast me into hell at any moment and then go and ensure that my friends would not be too grieved when I died. Suddenly a smile broke out on his face.

"Come on then. The good waves won't last forever." He announced with a grin as he stood up.

And with that he grabbed my hand and we raced into the water.

**Legolas' POV**

Night had fallen on the fifth day that we had been in Gondor and Saffron had been hauled off to rest by Nimiwen. But instead of leaving myself, I continued to sit by her side. Waiting for Deirdre to waken, and hoping that I would see her blue-green eyes once again. There was a stiffness settled throughout my body, from the denial of movement but it was easy to ignore as long as I was looking at her. The flesh of her right hand was warmed now, instead of the ice that was the rest of her flesh.

I found myself making promises to her once again, tonight. It was the only thing that it seemed I could do. Every night after Saffron left the room, I whispered any oath I could think of to get Deirdre back. Even knowing that most of these promises I could never have a chance to fulfill, I made them anyway. I couldn't bear to let Saffron hear me though. This was just between Deirdre and I.

If possible, Deirdre looked even worse than she had when we brought her in from the Pelennor Fields. Her skin had turned from the icy white and was beginning to pick up a gray tone to it. And the longer that she stayed unconscious, the thinner she got. Every time that Aragorn cleaned the wound on her side, it was possible to see her ribcage pressing against the skin. Both Aragorn and Gandalf had brought up that if she didn't recover soon, then she wasn't likely to. And that was when the fear had set it.

The fear that never before would I hold her in my arms as we both drifted off into unconsciousness. Or kiss her lips and see her bite them nervously. We wouldn't stay up talking together looking up at the stars when everyone else was asleep. I wouldn't get to hear her squeal in delight when she and Saffron had gone off to have their "girl time". I wouldn't be able to show her Mirkwood, introduce her to my father. I was so terrified of everything that I would lose if she never woke up, that I could feel myself growing ill and faint. The thought that she might not awaken tore me apart inside. I didn't want to lose her.

And because of that, I remained at her side every moment of the day. Sleep barely came to me anymore. But I was grateful when it did, for with sleep came dreams of a happy ending. Aragorn had tried to talk me into getting some rest myself, as he declared that the dark circles under my eyes were a cry for help. But I remained. Keeping my vigil and making sure that if she woke up, when she woke up, that there would be someone by her side.

Night turned into morning, the only movement in the room our breathing and when I ran my fingers through her hair. There was a slight layer of sweat covering her skin, a change from before and I was not sure if this was for the better or the worse. So instead of worrying too much about it, I hoped that it would mean she would wake soon, and I began washing her skin of the sweat.

Around mid-morning, Saffron returned to the room and took her usual seat by Deirdre's head. When she saw the sheen of sweat on Deirdre's skin a small smile graced her features and she took the cloth from my hand and began washing her face.

The cloth passed over the wound on her cheek, leaving a smear of black across her skin. Saffron's hand stopped moving and she dropped the cloth onto the bed beside Deirdre's head. We both watched the cut in silence, waiting to see what would happen.

Inky black blood oozed from the slice on her cheek, sliding across her flesh towards the fabric beneath her head, leaving a trail of black sludge behind. Immediately, Saffron sprang away from the bed, taking a step back and towards the door. While I pulled aside her shirt at the shoulder and saw that black blood was seeping from the wound on her shoulder and glancing to her side, I saw a growing black stain on her shirt.

Saffron bolted to the door, calling out for Gandalf and Aragorn as she went. I grabbed the nearest cloths and pressed them to both of her wounds, trying to staunch the blood leaking from her body. While I stood there holding the cloths and waiting for aid, the cloths both became drenched in a mixture of the black tainted blood and clean red blood.

"What's happening?" Aragorn asked in a fluster as he entered the room to see the blood.

"She started bleeding when Saffron cleaned the cut on her face. She was sweating earlier as well." I informed him, not taking my eyes off of Deirdre's still form as I watched in horror while my hands slowly became slicked in blood.

Aragorn went into his healer mode, removing the cloths from her flesh and examining the injuries underneath. After a moment of looking them over he turned to see Saffron and I standing there, waiting for him to say or do something.

"Legolas, go get Gandalf. Saffron, fetch me another of the healers. I'm afraid that I may need some assistance if we are going to stop her from bleeding out." Aragorn directed.

With one last glance at Deirdre as her breathing shuddered and she looked so lifeless on the bed, I dashed out of the room to get Gandalf, hoping that this wouldn't be the last time that I saw Deirdre still alive.

***End Chapter 34***

There it is. I should be able to get the next chapter up next Saturday, so look out for that.

Read and Review please XD


	36. Chapter 35

A/N: As always, I own nothing.

***Chapter 35***

**Deirdre's POV**

We had been playing in the water, smiling brightly as we did so. I know, I probably shouldn't be too happy about getting to play in the ocean when I found out that I was dying and made a deal with whoever this elf was that I would spend eternity in pain and suffering so that my friends could be happy. But, this was probably the only time I was going to get any time soon where I could be happy and enjoy myself.

Suddenly, the elf stopped moving and turned to face me, letting a wave strike into him full force but he didn't even take a steadying step back. The smile had disappeared from his face and I was afraid that I knew what was going to happen now.

"It's time, Deirdre." He announced in a serious tone. I nodded back at him. "Lay down in the water."

So I did. I took one last deep gulp of air before sinking my head and body beneath the surface of the water. My lungs began to burn from not getting fresh oxygen and the water seeped in through my nose. Forcefully, I kept myself under the water and tried not to struggle for the surface and oxygen. The red of my eye lids from the light filtering from the water turned to black and finally I gave way to unconsciousness.

**Legolas' POV**

I sat against the wall outside of Deirdre's room, my head resting on my knees as I tried not to think about what was going on within the room behind me. As soon as I had returned with Gandalf, I was ordered out of the room and had since been sitting waiting for news of how she was faring.

Time passed towards the afternoon and I was vaguely aware that Saffron and Nimiwen were both sitting in the hall as well. The sounds of movement and talking within the room had changed over the time. Gandalf's advice had halted a few hours previously and Aragorn was now giving the orders and trying to control the damage to Deirdre. The healers had both left the room a few times already, rushing off to get the requested herb. And so I waited, for Aragorn to come out of the room. Anxious for news of whether she was likely to wake or not.

Eventually, Gandalf opened the door to look at the three of us in the hallway. He shook his head lightly, amused that we had all waited at the door without stirring.

"You can come in now. There is nothing more that Aragorn or the other healers can do for her. The taint has left her. Now we will just have to wait and see if she will recover." Gandalf said as he moved back into the room, making space in the doorway for the three of us to pass him and enter the room.

We resumed our normal seats. I took Deirdre's hand into mine once more. It was cool from the lack of heat that I had fed it over the hours previously. Saffron sat by her head on my side of the bed while Aragorn took a cloth and slowly washed her face with cool water, brushing away the traces of blood.

As he worked, we all studied the visible differences in Deirdre. There was a flush to her cheeks, even though the rest of her face remained pale. My hand moved slightly toward her wrist, and for the first time since she had been brought here, I felt a strong pulse through her veins. A shuddering breath sounded through the quiet of the room, and looking up I saw that her lips had parted slightly.

A smile flashed across my face as I first met eyes with Saffron and then Aragorn. She must have been waking up. And now, it was only a matter of minutes before she would be back in the world of the living with us.

**Deirdre's POV**

Agony. I definitely understood what the elf had meant when he said that the exchange would involve pain and suffering. Because from the burning throughout my body as well as the awful feel of blood returning to my limbs, which I absolutely hated, I was definitely in pain. My lips parted as I felt oxygen returned to my deprived lungs. It helped to relieve a little bit of the agony searing my body. The red tinged light filtering through my closed eyelids returned me to consciousness and I took another deep breath, mentally bracing myself, before opening my eyes.

Instead of salt-water stinging my eyes as I expected, I was met with the sight of a dirty Aragorn. His grey eyes were staring directly at me and he had a worried expression on his face. When he saw my eyes open a smile broke out on his face and I returned it only to wince at the pain in my cheek.

I had to admit, this was a pretty creative way of putting me through hell. Definitely not what I was expecting, but cruel nonetheless I admitted to myself. That damn elf putting me back in a created world where I could see replications of the people I cared about and would never see again. I was quite impressed with his creativity.

"About time you woke up. You had us all worried." He commented looking away from me and over in the direction of my right side.

"This isn't real." I commented, shutting my eyes to try and avoid the pain searing through my throat and sides.

"What do you mean this isn't real?" Saffy questioned, drawing my gaze over to her. "You've been out for six days and the first thing that you think of to say is 'this isn't real'?"

I shut my eyes again and shook my head back and forth. Not wanting to look to where I felt pressure on my right hand, for fear of seeing the Legolas creation. So instead I re-opened my eyes and looked back at Aragorn.

"If we've been in Gondor for six days, then why haven't you washed your hair?" I asked Aragorn.

"I've been in the houses of healing this whole time. I didn't think washing my hair was that important." He retorted, rolling his eyes at me.

"Deirdre?" Legolas' soft voice came from beside my bed and I couldn't resist looking over anymore.

When I did however, I couldn't help but regret it. He looked awful. His hair was disheveled from running his hands through it too many times and his eyes were encircled by deep purple bruises. Overall, he simply looked exhausted.

I reached my hand out to him and my fingers brushed along his cheek, soft as always. He leaned into my touch and closed his eyes. There were tears welling up in my eyes. He wasn't supposed to be suffering. That was my place.

"Why aren't you happy?" I questioned. "You're supposed to be happy."

His eyes opened and his blue orbs bore into my tear filled ones. He made no movement for a long moment, before he took a seat on the side of my bed, abandoning his chair. His hands stroked through my hair, smoothing it down.

"You've been at death's door for six days. Why would I be happy?" he asked me.

"Because he promised," I whimpered out. "That was the agreement. You would be happy and I would suffer."

His face turned into a frown as he heard my words and noticed the lone tear streaking down my face and spilling onto the pillow.

"Why would you make an agreement like that?"

"Because he told me I was dying and wasn't going to get to come back to say goodbye. So he agreed that he would make sure that you and everyone would be happy. But in return, I had to be in pain." I replied simply.

"You're not going to go anywhere, melethnin. The only way that I could ever be happy is to have you by my side." Legolas said before leaning down and pressing his lips against mine.

His lips were soft against my own chapped lips. Reflectively I reached my hands up and tangled them in his hair. Pain erupted from my left hand causing me to gasp. His tongue snaked into my mouth and began a duel with my own, while I pulled him closer to me. Legolas' hair was silk-like against my calloused fingers and I never felt more battle-worn and roughed up than I did when I touched him. He stole away the oxygen from my lungs leaving me breathless as he pulled away.

My eyes slowly re-opened. When he kissed me like that it was a little hard to believe that I was in hell and supposed to be in agony right now. I glanced around the room looking for the others only to find that they weren't there anymore. I suppose that they must have left either before or during Legolas' miniature make-out session.

"Do you promise that this is real?" I whispered once I had caught my breath.

"On my life."

With those words, I pulled him back in and kissed him once more. He returned it eagerly, running his fingers into my hair and tracing the tip of my ear, earning him a moan. His lips abandoned mine and I was just about to protest, when they made a reappearance dancing along the flesh of my neck. As he nipped where my neck met my shoulder, I sighed out his name. But he was brought back to reality by something that I don't know what was and was now angry with.

"You're injured." Legolas commented, earning him an eye roll for stating the obvious.

"No shit, Sherlock."

A confused expression crossed his face before he quickly wiped it off, clearly deciding that the comment wasn't as important as filling me in on my injuries.

"You somehow managed to stab yourself with your own swords, get sliced by another that was slicked in Nazgul blood. And Aragorn picked out chunks of armor from various locations around your body." He commented, slightly mocking that I had gotten stabbed with my own swords. "Care to tell me how that happened?"

"Um, for the record, Witch-kings don't make very good sheaths for my swords?" I offered with a slight smile on my face.

After a raised eye-brow from Legolas prompting me, I told him the story. Taking special pride in the ability to ride a horse while shooting with my bow, as well as my ability to take down an Oliphant and I protested the fact that they only counted as one.

"So, what was your final count?" I asked him, hoping that since I had been fighting longer I might have a larger number than him.

"Fifty-seven." He announced with a proud smile.

A massive grin broke out over my face and I couldn't help but jump off of the bed and do a victory dance, which I then regretted when my side felt like it was being ripped to pieces.

"Ow." I remarked, sitting back down on the bed with a pout.

Shaking his head, Legolas took a seat at the head of the bed and spread his legs out so that I could sit in the space between them. Doing so, I leaned back against his chest and laid my head against his shoulder.

"I have to ask, why did you do a dance?"

"Cause I have a higher total than you!" I announced, grinning and causing a burn in my left cheek.

"And what was your total, melethnin?"

"Sixty and one-third."

"How did you get one-third?" he asked me, moving so that he could see my face better.

"I think I have to share the Witch-king kill with Eowyn and Merry. Otherwise I would be at sixty-one."

Chuckling quietly for a moment, Legolas leaned down so that his breath tickled across my ear making me shiver.

"What would you like as a prize then, Deirdre?" he asked, forming my name lovingly. I adored it when he said my name, the pet names and melethnin were sweet but it made me feel like he was only thinking about me when he said my name.

"You," I stated simply before turning my face to his and capturing his lips.

The next morning, I woke in Legolas' arms. There was a dull ache coming from various points of my body, reminding me that I had gotten assaulted by shrapnel, but the pain wasn't quite as unbearable as it had been the previous day. Just as I was about to wake Legolas up by showering kisses on his face, there was a knock on the door to my room.

"Come in." I responded, rousing Legolas from his sleep as I did so.

The circles that had circled his eyes the previous day were less prominent now, and he seemed less weak. I was glad that he had rested the night before, as it seemed that he hadn't had a good night's sleep since we had gotten to Gondor.

The door swung open to reveal Saffron and Nimiwen standing there. Both of whom were wearing smiles on their faces. I barely had time to sit up in the bed before Saffy had pounced upon it, wrapping her arms tightly around me.

"Ow, Saffy too tight."

"Sorry, forgot that your broken." She explained as she pulled away from me and looked at my face, her hands never leaving me as she was ensuring that I was really here.

"Not as broken as the Witch-King." I offered with a smirk. "Legolas was saying how they had to pull chunks of him out of me."

"So are you still convinced that this isn't real? Or are you ready to face reality?" she asked, somewhat rhetorically. "Cause, we have stuff to do and we both know that you were the one who was obsessed with this and know pretty much everything that happens."

"Right. So fill me in, what have I missed. Have you guys had the meeting about what to do next yet?" I returned, switching into massive nerd mode.

"Nope, we were kind of hoping that you would wake up before we did that. So that's the plan for today, figuring out the next step." Saffy replied, having kind of stopped paying attention to either Legolas or Nimiwen, just as I had.

"Alright, well, I'm going to clean up a little and then we can all meet and figure out what we're going to do." I proclaimed.

Saffy nodded her head and stood from the bed taking Nimiwen's hand as she walked toward the door.

"I'm glad that you're awake, Deirdre." Nimiwen said as she exited the room.

I turned my attention to Legolas, who was still lounging in the small bed. I leaned down and softly pressed my lips to his before climbing off of the bed slowly so as to avoid most of the pain.

"So did Aragorn leave any guidelines about whether I can bathe or not?" I asked Legolas while slowly beginning to stretch my back and arms.

"Just take your bandages off before hand and I can rewrap you up afterwards." He responded, relaxing back into the bed.

After leaning over and pressing a kiss to his lips, I headed out the door in an attempt to find a room where I could bathe.

"Frodo has passed beyond my sight." Gandalf stated as he paced across the floor of the throne room in Minas Tirith. "The darkness is deepening."

Those words sent a shiver of despair through everyone assembled in the hall. Even though Saffy and I knew the outcome of the war, it was hard not to feel the knot of worry forming in my stomach as we contemplated how to proceed in these dark days.

"If Sauron had the ring, we would know it." Aragorn insisted, trying to remain optimistic.

"It's only a matter of time. He has suffered a defeat, yes, but behind the walls of Mordor our enemy is regrouping." Gandalf rebutted.

"Let him stay there! Let him rot!" Gimli threw in his opinion from the steward's throne with his pipe still in his mouth.

"Because 10,000 Orcs now stand between Frodo and Mount Doom." Gandalf rebuked, throwing a glare slightly at the dwarf.

"You know most people generally would think that the more distance between a person and Mount Doom was a good thing. Why are we the weird ones again?" I questioned in a teasing tone, earning me a smack upside the head from Saffron who had apparently decided that I was better enough to damage again.

"I've sent him to his death." Gandalf concluded grimly, totally ignoring my comment.

"No." Aragorn responded hastily not wanting to admit defeat of the quest. "There is still hope for Frodo. He needs time and safe passage across the plains of Gorgoroth. We can give him that."

"How?" Gimli asked, removing his pipe from his mouth and leaning forward in his chair intrigued by what Aragorn may be proposing.

"Draw out Sauron's armies. Empty his lands. Then we gather our full strength and march on the Black Gate." Aragorn pondered aloud, drawing up his plan of attack. It was fairly brilliant really.

At the sound of a choking noise, I glanced over at Gimli and saw that he was coughing on his smoke as he had started choking when he heard Aragorn's suggestion.

"We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms." Eomer added, worry marring his face at the idea of declaring war on Mordor on its home turf.

"Not for ourselves." Aragorn conceded, sparing the horse lord a glance before continuing his pacing. "But we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's eye fixed upon us. Keep him blind to all else that moves."

"A diversion." Legolas commented, obviously thinking that it might work. I smiled and rose up to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Certainty of death, small chance of success, what are we waiting for?" Gimli remarked with a grin.

"I like the way you think, Gimli." I told him with a grin.

"Sauron will suspect a trap." Gandalf warned Aragorn. "He will not take the bait."

Aragorn turned to face him with a smirk on his face. His eyes shone brightly with a mischievous twinkle.

"Oh, I think he will."

With that Aragorn began to head towards the door, planning to use the palantir to communicate with Sauron and declare his challenge.

"Hey, Aragorn" I called, causing him to turn around to look back at our group. "Hand over the Evenstar pendant."

**End Chapter 35**

Alright, there is Chapter 35. Hope you all didn't think that I was gonna let Deirdre stay dead for too long. I don't know if I will be able to have the next chapter up by next Saturday cause I have barely started it and don't have much time now. But I will try and get it up soon.

Read and Review please


	37. Chapter 36

A/N: I own nothing.

***Chapter 36***

**Deirdre's POV**

"What?" Aragorn responded, halting in his exit and staring at me with a confused expression on his face.

"Evenstar pendant. Hand it over." I repeated as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

Aragorn's face contorted into even greater shock and the only sound in the hall was that of breathing because everyone had decided that I must have gone insane and was now staring at me. Don't I feel special?

"Can you just trust me on this one? I'll explain after your little conversation with Sauron." I said before I could be asked to repeat myself.

After another moment of silence, Aragorn shook his head and walked slowly back over to me. His hand faltered slightly as he unfastened the slim chain and lowered the pendant into my outstretched hand. With a brief pause, Aragorn released a sigh and slowly exited the hall, heading to where the palantir was kept. All eyes turned to me as the door to the hall shut with a dull thud.

"I'm only going to explain once, so you all will just have to wait until Aragorn gets back." I announced, attempting to ignore the confused stares of everyone in the hall.

So, instead of looking at them I turned my gaze to the shiny pendant in my hand. It looked so fragile. I was kind of amazed that it hadn't broken being worn by Aragorn into so many battles. But it seemed that it was strong enough to hold on, at least a little longer.

Time in the hall passed slowly as everyone was anxious about Aragorn's return when he would tell us how the challenge went, that and they were still kind of curious about what I could possibly be thinking taking away the Evenstar pendant from Aragorn. Legolas came up behind me after a few minutes of waiting and led the both of us over to a bench where we sat down so that I could lean back against him.

An eternity had seemingly passed when the doors of the hall swung open once more, revealing a slightly dazed Aragorn. His brow was furrowed in troubled thought as he took a seat next to Legolas and me at the bench.

"Sauron will know we are coming now." Aragorn declared, not meeting gazes with anyone else as his mind was still elsewhere. "Deirdre?"

It took a moment for me to catch onto his train of thoughts, but as soon as I did. I held out my hand which still cradled the pendant and passed it into his waiting hand.

"Right, sorry about that. It's just too pretty and shiny to let get broken." I explained.

Somehow that managed to increase the confused stares of everyone in the room. This was really quite impressive, considering that there was a finite number of people in the room. Nevertheless, the intensity of the stares at least increased.

"You're going to have to explain that one, Deirdre." Gandalf informed me, breaking the silence of the hall.

"Alright, so what was originally supposed to go down with Aragorn and the palantir was that he would issue the challenge and Sauron would respond by showing Aragorn the image of Arwen dying. Now, in the depiction that I know, the Evenstar pendant would fall from Aragorn's neck because he was shocked at seeing his love in such a state. And when the pendant falls, it breaks into a million itty bitty pieces of shininess." I explained, rambling slightly.

There was silence for another moment as everyone took in what exactly I was saying. Aragorn was the first to respond and break the silence, something I was beginning to notice he was rather good at.

"So the image of Arwen dying, that was just Sauron attempting to hurt me and not real?" he questioned, the hope behind his words obvious.

"Sorry, Aragorn. But the image that he showed you was real. That is the fate of Arwen, should the ring survive and evil remain in Middle Earth, she will fade." I responded, saying it as bluntly as needed.

I watched his face crumble for a moment in utter despair before a firm resignation took its place, setting his features into a determined grimace.

"However, Sauron is nearly as much a master of deception as I've read that Morgoth was." I told him, earning a confused look for a moment. "Surely I'm not the only one here who knows the story of Hurin and the fall of Gondolin."

My mind backpedaled over the stories that I had read after I became nigh on obsessed with Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's work. How Hurin had to watch his family fall apart and the seeming betrayal of his son's adoptive parents. But it was all the deceit of Morgoth, who wanted to not only torment Hurin with the knowledge of his family's pain. But he also wanted to find out where Gondolin was as Morgoth was sure that Hurin had been there before.

Recognition flared in the eyes of pretty much everyone in the room, well aside from Saffy, it even crossed Gimli's face even though it was an old story of Men and Elves, though Dwarves had their place in it as well.

"Knowledge is not only powerful, but can be extremely dangerous." I concluded, earning a nod and a slight smile to cross Aragorn's face.

"At dawn we ride for Mordor." Aragorn proclaimed, rising from his seat. "Eomer, the choice is yours if you and your people will ride to war with us. But as soon as the sun graces the earth, my men and I will be riding."

And with that, Aragorn walked out of the room, calling for a guard so that he could pass on his message that morning would bring a ride for war and the strong likelihood of death. My eyes wandered over to the new king of Rohan, whose face seemed nearly as determined as Aragorn's had as he left the room.

"Do you and your men ride with us to battle tomorrow, Eomer?" I asked him, feeling Legolas' arms tighten around my waist uncomfortably.

"You think I would remain behind and leave all the glory to you?" He asked rhetorically with a laugh before continuing. "Besides, I better make sure that you stick around a little longer, it seems that your riding into battle is good for morale."

"Good to hear." I returned with a smile. "Well, I will see you a little later. I believe this one wants to talk." I jerked my head towards Legolas who was still gripping me quite tightly.

I detached his arms and stood from the bench before practically dragging him out of the hall and back towards my room just outside the houses of healing. As soon as the door was closed behind me he started.

"What did you mean 'us'? Did you really think that after what happened last time that I would let you ride into battle once more? Especially when there is little to no hope that we will survive?" Legolas ranted, pacing the length of the room and occasionally throwing a glance at me, a mixture of confusion and anger in his eyes.

"Well, I think that it would be fairly obvious what I meant, unless you no longer speak common." I returned trying to ease the tension in the air between us.

"You aren't coming to Mordor tomorrow and that is final." He announced, his voice coming out angry and terse.

"Legolas Thranduilion, do not think that you can tell me what to do just because of what happened the last time that I went to battle. I am more than capable of handling myself in battle. The only reason that I got hurt was because that dude blew apart, that won't be happening in most any other battle." I scolded returning his anger right back to him.

"Is it so wrong of me not to want you to get hurt again? You almost died. I won't lose you!" He yelled, which my mouth to hang open as any previous words I was going to say died in my throat.

"Love, just because I want to go and fight doesn't mean that you would ever lose me. I will do whatever it takes to stay by your side, no matter the consequences. I'm strong enough to stand by your side and fight there too. I promise you, nothing is going to go wrong. I will be right there next to you when Sauron falls." I said while slowly approaching the furious elf standing in the center of the room.

When I finally reached him, I raised myself up slightly and gently pressed my lips against his, giving him every bit of the comfort that I could. Ensuring that I wasn't going to go anywhere; then I pulled him back towards me and the bed falling back onto it.

Far too early the sun began to peek over the horizon, the reddish rays seeping into the earth and rousing Legolas and I from unconsciousness. I stretched in the bed and snuggled my face against Legolas' bare chest.

"Morning, melethnin." He murmured against my hair, wrapping his arms around my nude figure.

"Morning, love." I responded, pressing my lips gently against his neck. "I don't think I ever want to get out of bed."

"Sorry, but we have to get up. Aragorn and the army are leaving Minas Tirith soon and I intend to go with them." He returned, slowly moving out from underneath me so that he could get out of the bed and prepare for the day.

"Alright, I'm getting up then too. I am still going to come with you, just so you now." I informed him.

I rose from the bed and padded over towards the dress that I had left strewn across the floor. Lifting it and the corset from the ground, I quickly redressed and turned around to face Legolas who had redressed in his traveling attire and was currently refastening all of his weapons about his person.

"I'm still not so certain about you coming to Mordor with us." Legolas stated as his hands danced through the hair at his temples, forming the elven warrior braids that were constantly there.

"Don't worry so much. Nothing is going to happen. I'm going to be by your side the entirety of the battle." I reassured him as I made my way over to him and wrapped my arms about his waist.

"No getting hurt this time?" he questioned in a serious tone, backing away slightly so that he could look me in the eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it." I replied, reaching up and kissing him softly. "Do you know where I can get my armor? I haven't seen it since the battle."

A small smirk crossed his face as he stared down at me.

"Deirdre, your armor was ruined by the chunks of Witch-King that was pulled out of it, that and your swords did not help so much either."

"Oh, well, where can I get new armor? And where did my swords disappear to?" I asked him, quirking my eyebrow.

"Come on, melethnin." And with that Legolas grabbed my hand and began dragging me out of the door and through the hallways from the houses of healing towards the armory.

So apparently, in Gondor it's almost impossible to find anything to go over the chainmail shirt that doesn't specify that you are from Gondor. Luckily, we managed to rummage through the mess that was the armory, considering that there were so many men who had just been outfitted earlier this morning the mess wasn't that surprising, and found a plain black leather vest. After I had pulled it on and Legolas had gone and grabbed my swords for me, as well as the bow and quiver that I had been using since Rohan, we headed out of the armory ready to ride to war.

In the stables we managed to find my horse Bladen as well as a spare horse for Legolas, for Arod had fled back at the Paths of the Dead. We both saddled our horses before heading out of the stables to find Aragorn, Saffy, Gandalf, Nimiwen, Gimli, Eomer, and the hobbits outside in a mass of men in armor preparing to ride to Mordor. Saffy tossed me a bag, which was filled with rations, as well as a bedroll while Nimiwen did the same to Legolas.

"Figured you would have forgotten to pick them up." Saffron explained as she mounted her horse that had been found in Gondor.

"Thanks, you were right." I responded, mounting Bladen quickly and settling myself into the saddle.

Our party set out at the head of the force heading into the east towards the dark clouds that hung over Mordor. Over the four day journey, our party caught up on what everyone had done recently. Apparently even though most of our parts in the tale overlapped there was still a lot that the others didn't know about what we had done. For instance, Merry explained about how he had ridden to war with Eowyn and everything that had happened on his journey, while since I had been separated from Eomer before the battle even began, I wasn't sure what entirely he had been doing.

One the third night that we were on the road to Mordor, our group had crowded around one of the fires and it almost reminded me of back when I was living in my old world, out camping with friends sitting around a campfire and sharing stories.

"Alright, most embarrassing thing that you have ever done." I declared, determined to get a little bit of dirt on the royals all around me.

"Di, why do you want to do this?" Saffy questioned, rolling her eyes as she leaned back into Nimiwen's arms.

"Come on, Saffy. Are you afraid to tell your most embarrassing moment?" I questioned.

"Whatever, I'll only tell mine if you get everyone to agree to tell theirs." She informed me, sparing a quick glance over to the rest of the people gathered around the fire.

However, much to Saffy's loss they all seemed at least somewhat willing to share their own experience, and once affirming that I would share mine as well, we began swapping our worst moments.

"Who wants to go first?" I asked the group, to which I received a pointed stare from everyone present. "Alright, I guess I will."

"One time, I was in art class and was walking back to my seat from the front of the room and I didn't see a bag that someone had placed next to their seat. So I tripped over the bag, stumbled through two stools and fell into one of the tables. Then proceeded to walk away in the most dignified fashion I could manage as the entirety of the class, including the teacher, laughed at me." I admitted recounting one of my many clumsy encounters.

The hobbits both laughed at me, causing a flush to color my cheeks. Legolas placed a kiss to my warm cheek while Eomer attempted to stifle his laughter.

"Did that really only happen once?" Saffy asked laughter in her voice.

"Yes." I answered, hastily looking down. "Your turn, Saffy."

"Alright. I think that my most embarrassing moment was probably the time that I had to flash our old middle school." Saffy explained, causing me to laugh at her reddening face.

"I remember that. But don't worry; you weren't the only one who had to flash that school that night. Remember, they made me do it first." I sniggered, leaning forward to pat Saffy's hand.

"That's right. Why wasn't that your most embarrassing moment then?" she questioned.

"Cause there was nowhere there." I reasoned before turning my gaze on Legolas.

"Is it really my turn?" he asked aloud, receiving a nod from everyone in the circle. "My most embarrassing moment was probably when I was younger I was running through the palace in Mirkwood and the floors had just been cleaned. I ended up slipping on the wet floor and sliding into the dining hall where one of the servants was carrying a bowl of berries. I slid into him and ended up on the floor covered in berry juice."

With a smile on my face, I turned my head into his neck and placed a kiss against the warm skin that was there. The other members of our party laughed, before continuing to share their most embarrassing moments.

Merry and Pippin shared a few, not being able to agree on which was the most embarrassing before finally settling on the time that Merry got Pippin drunk enough that on their way over to find Frodo, he accidently proclaimed his undying love to Proudfoot instead of the pretty hobbit girl who was walking down the road.

Gandalf had to be persuaded into sharing an embarrassing moment, as he was a wizard after all. And because of that was one of the most prestigious in the group. However, he finally admitted to a few events where he had walked into doors and accidently hit his staff into his forehead having turned around too fast.

Aragorn's story was about the time that the twin sons of Elrond had pulled a prank on him as he was getting out of the bath and without thinking he had run after them forgetting to put his clothes on first. He had ended up halfway through Rivendell before he had caught up to them, only to be mocked for being nude.

Gimli was as difficult to persuade as Gandalf had been, but finally he was talked into sharing a time from his youth. This happened to be when he had first begun smoking his pipe and had dropped his match onto his beard, catching it afire.

Eomer told us about when he was young how he had been trying to show off to one of the girls back in Edoras that he had stood up on his horse. However, instead of impressing the girl he instead succeeded in falling off of the horse and landing on his butt in a pile of horse manure.

Nimiwen was the last of the group to share her story. She told us about how the first time that she had gone on guard on the borders of Lothlorien. She had mistaken the sounds coming from one of the other guards with an intruder and had then snuck up on none other than Haldir himself. After she had realized that she had pulled a weapon on her superior, she had tried to apologize and in backing away from the March warden, who had in fact been amused, she had fallen off of the low platform and onto one of the lower branches.

As the last of our stories finished up, we dispersed heading back to our separate bedrolls to get some rest as we would be arriving outside the black gates of Mordor midday tomorrow. I curled up under the stars with Legolas by my side and hoped that the next day would bring death or injury in too many of our company.

Dawn broke. I had become used to sleeping on the ground once more, even though my body still yearned for the soft mattresses of Minas Tirith. But as realization of what the day would bring, the final battle between our forces and those of Mordor would come today. And before the day was done, Frodo and Sam would be back with us.

By the time that the sun would have been at its highest but was hidden beneath the dark clouds that hung in the sky, we had reached the fields outside of the black gates. Our company forming ranks with our group at the forefront of the army. We stood waiting outside of the gates in awkward silence, waiting for something to happen.

"Where are they?" Pippin asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over our group and crossing over the worried murmurs from the army at our backs.

Aragorn took a glance at Pippin as he sat behind Gandalf, before he turned and rode towards the black gates.

"Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth." Aragorn called to the gates. "Let justice be done upon him."

Ever so slowly the massive metal edifice creaked open and a single figure rode out, mounted on a black steed. The majority of the figure's face was covered in a black helmet that looked quite similar to the tower of Barad-dur. However, the part of the beings face that was revealed was a huge mouth, the lips bruised and bloodied from housing the gargantuan, sharp, yellow teeth within. A shudder passed over me as I imagined what it had to be like having those teeth within my own mouth. One word: Ouch.

"My master Sauron the Great bids thee welcome." The mouth stated, stretching his purple lips into a twisted smile. "Is there any in this rout with the authority to treat with me?"

"We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed. Tell your master this. The armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return." Gandalf spat as he looked with disgust upon the horrific figure before us.

I couldn't help but question where the hell Gandalf was thinking that Sauron would go. I mean he couldn't really go anywhere, considering that he was an eye. And furthermore, where was he supposed to go even if he could leave. I don't think that he could manage to get to Valinor and he definitely couldn't get to wherever his old boss went. Where was he supposed to leave to?

"Aha! Old Greybeard." The mouth of Sauron snarled, snapping me out of my contemplation. "I have a token I was bidden to show thee."

He pulled out the mithril shirt that Frodo had worn that had protected him from being impaled by the cave troll. Having pulled out the shirt, there were gasps coming from the two hobbits that both looked aghast that Frodo was probably dead.

"Frodo!" Pippin shouted in grief before he could hold his tongue. The shirt was then thrown at Gandalf so that it crumpled into his lap as he stared at in somewhat shocked. "Frodo!"

"Silence!" Gandalf reprimanded him, widening the smirk on the mouth's face.

"No!" Merry picked up the cries from where Pippin left off from his place behind Eomer.

"Silence!" Gandalf commanded once more, trying to calm the reactions of the hobbits.

"The Halfling was dear to thee I see. Know that he suffered greatly at the hands of his host. Who would've thought that one so small could endure so much pain? And he did Gandalf, he did." The Mouth sneered at the wizard.

"And we're supposed to believe that just because you have a shiny little shirt that once belonged to a hobbit that we knew means that you killed him?" I questioned in a harsh tone, causing the Mouth to turn his head towards me. "What supposed proof you have offered is pathetic. But you just don't want to admit that you lost the Halfling when he had been captured. Well, more that you not only lost him but most of the guards that were at Cirith Ungol."

The corners of his great mouth pulled down in a frown as I gave a harsh bark of a laugh. I felt as though I was returned back to my time in Isenguard with the way that I was acting in response to negotiations with the harsh attitude I had resumed.

"So you are the disgraced Mistress of Isenguard. The weakling." He said with disdain, the supposed title laced with disgust.

"In the flesh." I returned, pulling one corner of my mouth up into a smirk. "Why would I ever want to work with Sauron when your guards are so incompetent that they can't even keep track of one bound hobbit?"

"It's shocking that your so called friends would be willing to ride to battle with a liar such as you at their sides." He commented before turning his gaze to Aragorn who was riding towards him. "And who is this? Isildur's heir? It takes more to make a king than an Elvish blade."

Aragorn rode ever closer before fiercely drawing his sword and separating the mouth's head from his body. It rolled to the ground with a sickening thud and his body fell to the ground on the other side of the horse. Aragorn came back from the retreating horse.

"Well, I guess that concludes negotiations." Gimli grumbled from behind Legolas.

"I do not believe it. I will not." Aragorn stated.

My mind however was more focused on the fallen corpse of the Mouth of Sauron which lay on both sides of where the horse had previously stood.

"It takes more to make a negotiator than a mouth." I commented with a slight smile. "It takes a brain."

**End Chapter 36**

So I successfully managed to get the chapter done by Saturday. Hopefully, I will be able to get the next chapter done soon. However I haven't even gotten a start on the next chapter, so I should be able to get it up by next Saturday but I can't guarantee it. But it will have the battle in it. Tell me what you all thought of the 'most embarrassing moments' part, I kinda wanted to get a little more in depth with the characters.

Read and Review please.


	38. Chapter 37

A/N: I own nothing

**Chapter 37**

***Deirdre's POV***

The gates which had closed after the arrival of the Mouth of Sauron slowly began to open and behind the wall thousands upon thousands of Orcs could be seen marching towards the entrance. After looking at the mass approaching our army Aragorn began slowly backing his horse back towards the bulk of our army.

"Pull back! Pull back!" Aragorn called out.

I turned my horse back around and spurred Bladen on, returning back to the front lines and turning to look at Aragorn at the head of our army. The massive army of Orcs began to spread out, surrounding our seemingly tiny army.

"Hold your ground! Hold your ground!" Aragorn ordered as he watched the soldiers around us getting nervous.

I glanced over to my left side and saw Legolas sitting aside his horse with Gimli settled behind him. He looked over to me and our eyes met for a moment, but with a brief smile, we both turned our attention back towards Aragorn.

"Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers. I see it in your eyes, the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day!" Aragorn spoke, drawing the attention of everyone in our army and a hush fell over the men. "An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight!"

The passion in his voice flowed out among the army, sending a chill down my spine as I watched Aragorn speak to his men. Power radiated out from the heir as he roused the spirits of the army.

"By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand! Men of the West!" Aragorn's voice rang out loudly, rousing a cheer from the army.

The cheer rang out through our army, calling for battle as the sound of swords being unsheathed filled the air. Everyone who had ridden a horse to the black gates now began to dismount, bidding farewell to the last hope of escape. I swung my leg off of Bladen and slid down to his side. One hand grasped the reins while the other stroked his mane.

"We will make it through this, my friend." I whispered into his ear before sending him with the other horses from our party to the center of our army.

I watched the horses disappear behind the forms of a few thousand men before turning back to see Aragorn at the head of our army with his sword drawn.

"Never thought I'd die standing side by side with an elf." Gimli's gruff voice drew my attention to the dwarf standing on the other side of the elf that I loved.

"What about dying side by side with a friend?" Legolas asked, a slight hint of a smile in his tone.

"Aye," Gimli responded, nodding his head. "That I could do."

My eyes travelled the form of Legolas as he stood strong with his bow already drawn and held in his left hand. Acting on an impulse I grabbed his right hand and pulled him to me, pressing our lips together and wrapping my arm around his neck. He responded after half a moment, deepening the kiss and holding me tightly against him.

"You aren't nervous, are you melethnin?" he questioned staring at me with his deep blue eyes.

"Me? Nervous?" I questioned lightly, before shaking my head. "Nah, that was just for good luck."

A grin spread on his face as he softly kissed me once more before we stepped away from our embrace. My hands drifted from his arms to my bow, resting on my back and I pulled it free, drawing an arrow from my quiver as I did so. Notching the arrow in my bow and taking aim at one of the Orcs in front of me, my eyes travelled over towards Aragorn who stood with Anduril drawn and readied. He moved slowly forward in the front of the army, staring mesmerized at the army of Orcs before us. Before looking back over his shoulder with a sad smile on his face.

"For Frodo." He softly said, just loud enough for us to hear him.

I glanced quickly over to Saffy who stood to my right and met eyes with her, a slight smile across my face as I nodded to her before quietly saying.

"For pony."

And with that as my battle cry, I took off running just after Pippin and Merry. The rest of the army racing towards death and destruction in the onslaught with the Orcs, behind me. The arrow in my bow flew forward, finding a home in the windpipe of the Orc that I had aimed at, felling it instantly.

My hand reached back and drew another arrow and I repeated the motion, causing several of the Orcs to drop before our forces even clashed. When I had almost reached the opposing army, I replaced my bow before drawing both of my swords. The metal was comfortable in my hands, as though it was an old friend. I smirked at the thought, before plunging a sword into the chest of the nearest Orc.

All around me, the sounds of death rang. My blades danced through the flesh of numerous Orcs as one by one they fell before me. The odor of iron filled the air and my lungs as I breathed in the death on the field. I thrust my sword into the belly of the next Orc and heard the gurgle of blood in its throat as I wrenched my sword and it fell to the ground. I moved in a whirlwind, leaving a trail of bloodied corpses around me.

A Nazgul cry rent the air along with the sound of men screaming as they were lifted into the air by the fell beasts carrying the ring wraiths. I glanced up into the sky, watching the air with a twinge of fear, before the Nazgul mounts were suddenly engaged in an aerial battle with what had to be the eagles.

I sliced my way through the Orcs, feeling the spray of black blood from their veins as I slit the throat of yet another Orc. My eyes raced quickly over the area around me, there were an endless amount of Orcs still pouring from the mouth of the gates to Mordor and corpses scattered across the ground made it uneven footing. Massive shapes moved throughout the battlefield, sending a few soldiers both Orc and mortal flying away from them. The hulking masses of the cave trolls waded through the skirmish like it was water and let out ghastly roars as they swung their clubs back and forth.

About two hundred feet from me, was the nearest cave troll who was making its way towards Aragorn. He paused as the cave troll gave another cry and his head paused facing the troll. I began to move in that direction, dragging my sword through the muscle of one of the Orcs as I cleaved from the shoulder through to its' mid-chest.

My muscles are burning from the strain of battle and the new flesh covering my wounds is pulled beyond tight. But still I clashed blades with the Orcs and sever heads from bodies, leaving about me a wake of death. My eyes flash to where the cave troll has just sent Aragorn sprawling onto his back.

After burying my blades into the sides of Orcs and leaving their bodies leaking black blood, I run to where the cave troll is sneering down at Aragorn, its foot pressing against his chest as he struggles to breathe and free himself. He pulls a knife and buries it in the think hide of its massive foot. Running behind the troll, I raked my swords from its knee upwards, slicing into the muscle of the hamstring. Its cry of anguish accompanies the sound of shrieking in the air as the wraiths have fled the battlefield and are trying desperately to reach the mountain of fire. With a harsh kick to the calf of the troll, it stumbles from its place, foot slipping from Aragorn harmlessly.

My swords danced across the tenuous muscle at the back of its ankle and it collapses like Achilles in a bout of anguish. I give a wink to Aragorn as he struggles to stand, grasping Anduril as he rises and sends it into the chest of a nearby Orc. I turn from him to continue fighting, but before I can find the next opponent the ground shakes as the eye of Sauron gives off a painful screech. My hands fly to my ears as the noise rings out, leaving me flinching from the sound. A tremor passes through the ground as the army of Orcs give off terrified sounds and abandon the fight in search of safer ground.

On the horizon, the dark tower begins to collapse with the eye looking around frantically from the lowering top. A tremendous sound like the shaking of the earth thunders through the world as Mount Doom erupts, lava blasting into the air and streaking down the sides of the mountain like deadly orange paint.

Sounds of cheering for "Frodo" come from the mouths of the Halflings as the tower of Barad-dur finally collapses to the ground and the eye of Sauron explodes with a shockwave. Metal is crumbling from the black gates and bright smiles cover the faces of all our army.

I glance over at Aragorn, whose face holds no smile instead horror coats his expression. Pippin gives off an anguished cry of Frodo, tears thick in his voice.

"Gandalf," I cry as I slip my swords back into their sheaths and I race for the wizard. "The eagles. You have to get the eagles to rescue Frodo and Sam."

The wizard looks at me with tear tracks running through the battle grime that is coating his face. Misery apparent in his eyes.

"They are still alive, Gandalf. Near mount doom, but far enough away that they won't be harmed by the lava. They need our help." I spoke desperately, remembering the scene in the film where Frodo and Sam lay on the rock surrounded by a sea of lava.

"Very well," Gandalf said the slightest hint of hope in his voice. "We shall search for them. Though I fear the worst."

With a soft whistle from Gandalf one of the eagles swoops elegantly down to the ground landing gently beside Gandalf. The wizard looks at our group before mounting the eagle and taking off as he speaks quietly to the eagle.

Legolas approaches, wrapping his arms around me from behind as he buries his face in the side of my neck.

"Don't worry melethnin." I comfort, bringing my hand back to his head. "Soon all of us will be back in Minas Tirith and the only thing that we will have to worry about it keeping the hobbits from eating the new king out of house and home."

"You seem quite positive that Frodo and Sam will be fine." Legolas countered lifting his head and pulling me even closer against him.

"Of course I am. Though there is one thing that I'm interested in." I opened causing Legolas and the others to turn and look at me. "So this entire quest was incredibly dangerous and it took ages for Frodo to get to Mount Doom. My question is: Why didn't we just have one of the eagles carry Frodo over the plains and to the doorstep where Frodo could throw the ring in?"

**End Chapter 37**

Sorry if this chapter seems strange, it doesn't feel like I wrote it the same way that I wrote the others. And I know that it's late in posting and shorter than normal, but I really wanted to get it posted for your guys and I have been really busy with both work and school. And the last line is something that I've kind of been thinking about for a while. Admittedly it would make a horrid story if that solved all the problems, but it would have been much simpler.

Well, read and review please and tell me what you think.


	39. Chapter 38

A/N: Yeah, I don't own anything.

***Chapter 38***

**Deirdre's POV**

I was pacing in the hallway, having to take a break from the agonizing torment that was waiting for Frodo to awaken. I had been sitting at his bedside diligently, but after a few hours the urge to move and work off some of the tension had become overwhelming. So now I walked back and forth in front of his door, preparing to return to the room which housed the unconscious Halfling.

Every member of our fellowship took turns waiting for the hobbits to awaken. Not because we as a group decided that everyone had to. But because if we took turns then someone was always with one of the two and the others could get a little piece of mind and could also get some things done. So after another minute, I headed back into the room that Frodo occupied.

Various scratches and bruises were scattered around his face, his eyes were surrounded by deep circles and he looked exhausted even though he slept. Aside from his semi-conscious state when Gandalf and the eagles had rescued him from among the lava outside of Mount Doom, he had not awoken since we had found him. The healers were confident that he was going to wake, but it was just going to take time since he had been so exhausted both physically and mentally. I brushed some of his dark hair away from his pale face and sat at the bedside, silently waiting for when he would awaken.

Time passed and I was slowly spacing out, absentmindedly stroking Frodo's hair every once in a while and humming songs to the sleeping hobbit. Suddenly, a loud slamming sound erupted from the entryway as the door crashed into the door. Jumping from shock, I fell backwards off of the bed and landed on my back, before sitting up to spy Saffy in the doorway.

"Sam's awake! He woke a few minutes ago, and I knew you would want to know." She gasped out in between ragged breathes, apparently she had sprinted the entire way from wherever she had recently been, most likely Sam's room at the other end of the houses of healing.

Bouncing off of the floor, I leaned over Frodo and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, murmuring a promise to return soon. I ran over towards the door and grabbed Saffy, dragging her behind me. I grabbed ahold of the handle to the door of Sam's room, trying to open the door, but falling into it and stumbling into the room.

Sam was sitting in the bed with the fellowship standing around him, his eyes widened when he saw Saffy and I and a smile graced his face. I returned the grin and fell onto the bed next to him, gracefully avoiding both Merry and Pippin who were sitting the bed beside him; I wrapped my arms around Sam.

"Welcome back to the world of the conscious, Sam." I commented, hugging him tightly against me.

"It's good to be back, and see you all again." Sam replied, eyes gazing over the entirety of our group. "How's Mister Frodo doing?"

"Frodo is resting right now, don't you worry. I am going to go watch over him now." Gandalf declared, rising from his seat in the chair in the corner of the room.

Sam nodded his head and we all watched as Gandalf swept out of the room, moving back to the room that I had so recently departed. After a moment, Sam's eyes swept across our company again and a slight frown crossed his face.

"Where's Boromir?" he questioned.

Silence fell among our gathering, no one wanted to be the one to answer question. Finally, unable to stand the silence anymore, I tried to break the silence and distract from it slightly.

"Why don't we wait to answer all your questions and all share our tales once Frodo wakes?" I offered the group, earning some nods of agreement and a few mhmm's. "Speaking of which, I think Frodo should be waking very soon."

And with that, a great cheer from both Merry and Pippin erupted and they took off running for Frodo's room. The rest of us left the room a little slower, helping Sam from the bed and making sure that he was good to walk before we all headed out. Aragorn walked next to Sam, making sure that if he stumbled that there was someone right there to catch him, while I walked just before him with Legolas.

By the time that we had arrived at Frodo's door, there was laughter erupting from inside and I could see several members of our party standing by the doorway. I peered inside and smiled seeing Frodo sitting up in bed with a smile on his pale face, Merry and Pippin sitting on either side of him.

"Deirdre! Legolas!" Frodo's voice cried out cheerfully.

I dragged Legolas into the room before bouncing over to the bed and sitting beside Frodo, pressing a kiss against his temple. He hugged me tightly before crying out in joy when Aragorn walked into the room, my eyes turned to the man and I smiled slightly seeing that he had washed his hair. My eyes ranged over all of our company as Sam slowly made his way into the room and silence fell slowly around us. Everyone in our party had changed from when we had all come together at the beginning of the quest. Sam looked more somber and serious than when we had left Rivendell, his eyes carried sadness and a small smile marked his pale, scratched face with dark circles beneath his eyes.

Gimli had tears filling his eyes, he may not have changed as much outwardly but it was tangible what he felt for the rest of us. A great friendship had grown between him and Legolas and the dwarf didn't seem to have the same gruff exterior as he had before, nor the same prejudices.

Legolas looked the same as he had before, his face maintaining the agelessness that it had when I had first laid eyes upon him. But he wasn't, his reserve was chipped away and I couldn't help but love that elf with all of my heart.

Aragorn had put aside the ranger exterior; his face had lost the dirt and gained responsibility. Even his clothing change was shocking, no longer was he garbed in rain soaked garments but in a tunic that befit the King of Gondor.

Gandalf had changed physically, no longer was he a grungy grey wizard, but he shone with an inner light as Gandalf the white. The lines in his face had deepened but there was joy shining in his face as he looked at Frodo caringly.

Nimiwen was strong physically but since we had met her she had opened up to our group and now was obviously a seriously badass chick. Her arms encased Saffron and the adoration they both held for each other was thick in the air about them.

Both Merry and Pippin had lost the carefree attitude of shire youths, their experiences marked them and formed lines on their innocent faces. Both were warriors, scarred from battle, but desperate to keep some of the carefree attitude if it could help their friends.

Frodo was pale and looked travel-worn, but his eyes shone with mirth as the weight that had weighed so heavily on his shoulders was tossed into the fires of Mount Doom, along with his finger.

And Saffy, my dear Saffy. She wasn't the girl that I went to high school with anymore. She was beautiful and grown, I was glad to say that she was my best friend. Instead of being innocent she now was a warrior and a lover. Middle earth had changed her; she could hold her own in a fight and had found someone who could make her truly happy. I couldn't help but smile when I saw the real her shining brightly in her face, not hidden behind makeup but my best friend, the bright girl no longer bound by any limitations.

"So what happened with all of you after Sam and I left?" Frodo questioned, drawing me out of my contemplative state.

Merry and Pippin automatically picked up on their story, giving step by step encounters with the Ents and their invasion of Isenguard, all the way through when they charged the black gates with the rest of our army. And all throughout, they would get up occasionally and act out parts of their story, earning smiles and laughter from our group.

Then Gimli gave the gruesome details of his battles as Aragorn and Legolas filled in on the rest of the story that Gimli wasn't as eager to share. Gimli included the scores of the battles between him and Legolas, declaring that he won the battle of Helm's deep, while I interjected that I won the battle of the Pelennor fields.

We insisted that Frodo and Sam give their story on the journey to Mount Doom. Frodo admitted how he had trusted Gollum and the fight with Shelob, and how he would have been lost without Sam who came back and saved the ring from being captured by the Orcs. Sam blushed when Frodo complimented him and his heroism. But neither would say how the ring was thrown into the fires, only that Gollum had taken the ring and Frodo's finger into the fires and death with him.

Gandalf shared all the knowledge that the rest of us weren't aware of, telling us how he got back from death after the battle with the Balrog as well as how he found the Rohirrim, even sharing the story of how he became friends with Shadowfax.

Finally, they pressed me to find out what made me go to Isenguard and everything that happened there. As I spoke, I could feel myself editing the story similarly to how Frodo had done. Explaining only the facts really, about the wound in my shoulder and how I wanted to even the odds between Saruman's Uruk army and the people of Rohan. The others seemed to understand my hesitation to talk about my time in Isenguard, as I wasn't really me when I was there and was instead a liar and traitor, so I was spared some of tale.

After that, Merry and Pippin took up the story again, telling Frodo and Sam about all the people that they had met, like the royal family of Rohan, the Ents, and Pippin had met Boromir's family. When Boromir was mentioned, tears were in many eyes.

As the stories wrapped up, Frodo's mouth opened in a yawn and Sam attempted to stifle a yawn of his own. I pressed a kiss to Sam's head just before he rose from the bed.

"I think it's time that we left Sam and Frodo to rest." Gandalf said as he rose from the chair that he was occupying.

The room vacated swiftly, Sam placing his hand on Frodo's shoulder and once Frodo patted his hand, he left the room. Finally, I was the last one in the room with Frodo and I pressed a kiss to the top of his head before moving towards the door.

"Deirdre, there was more to your story about Isenguard that you didn't tell us. Wasn't there?" Frodo asked, causing me to stop on my way out of the room.

"And there was more to hear about your tale in Mount Doom. Some things aren't happy to hear, but you know that don't you?" I responded before giving him a soft smile and leaving the room.

I made my way back to the room that Legolas and I shared, opening the door to find him lying back on the bed, relaxing. With a smirk I moved as quickly and quietly as I could before pouncing on the bed and capturing his lips in a kiss.

Instantly, Legolas flipped me over so that I was trapped beneath him and he trailed his lips down my neck, settling on my pulse point as my fingers wove into his hair and toyed with the sensitive tip of his pointed ears.

"You know that dinner is soon, correct?" he muttered, barely pulling away from my neck.

"Maybe we can skip tonight." I offered before pulling him back to my lips and working at the ties of his tunic.

***End Chapter***

So sorry that I haven't updated in forever, please forgive me. I've been super busy with both work and school. And sorry that this chapter is so short. I already have an idea about how I want the next chapter to be, so hopefully I will be able to get it up pretty soon.

Read and Review please. Feedback is awesome.


	40. Chapter 39

A/N: I own nothing. No really, I don't.

**Chapter 39**

***Deirdre's POV***

"GOD FORSAKEN CORSETS!" The words exploded from my mouth as I continued to do battle with the cruel garment.

Laughter sounded around me as both the maid that was helping me to dress and Saffy cracked up at my annoyance. I rolled my eyes at them, fidgeting once more the confining fabric before letting out a sigh which pressed my bones against the material. I remember when I used to love wearing corsets, I would only complain when I had to run somewhere and couldn't breathe. But now that I had to wear them every fucking day, I was more than hateful towards them. Is it too much to ask for a regular old bra?

"What happened to wanting to wear a genuine corset, Di?" Saffy teased.

"I'm saving my reply for when I can properly breathe once more." I replied, turning away from her and looking at the woman who continued to tighten the laces on the corset. "Does it have to be that tight?"

"If you are going to fit into your gown it does." She replied, earning her a glare tossed over my shoulder. "Now hold your breath while I get this last one."

With one last sharp tug and I feared a cracked rib, she tied off the laces and it loosened fractionally around my frame. Not enough to permit real breathing, but hey it was something. I lifted my arms when directed and the woman pulled a beautiful green gown over my head and began fastening the ties along the bodice. It cinched tightly at the waist and in the mirror I could see what the corset was doing to my waistline, instead of a normal waist I had a tiny wasp-waist that I was convinced couldn't possibly hold my organs. The dress was cut so that I had some cleavage showing but not too much to be inappropriate for the age that I was now living in, while the skirt and sleeves flowed loosely out.

My eyes flitted over to Saffy as she sat in a pale blue gown with her hair flowing down long. The blue of the dress made her eyes stand out beautifully, matching spectacularly. She looked incredibly bored because it was taking so long for me to get ready.

"Come on now, time to fix your hair." The maid, Mairen, insisted as she shoved me towards the vanity.

I plopped down, letting out a deep-ish breath as she picked up the brush and began running it through my hair. My face screwed up into a grimace with every knot and tangle that she ran into. Finally, once she decided that my hair was either tangle-free, or that if she continued to brush then I would not have enough hair to style, she pulled back the edges of my hair near my face and braided them down the back.

"Pretty as a princess." She announced with a nod as she finished. "You'd best hurry along now, the ceremony will be soon and you will want to find your delegations."

"Thank you Mairen." I replied, giving her a warm smile even though she spent the past few hours torturing me in the best ways that she could.

She nodded before Saffy and I took off leaving the room and heading towards the courtyard where the ceremony would be held. There were people filling the massive area, anxiously waiting. I spotted a large delegation of elves on the other side of the courtyard, near to the white tree. Dragging Saffy behind me, I squeezed my way through the mass of people until I was surrounded by a sea of blonde elves.

"We made it to the right side, but how do we find them now?" I asked Saffy, looking around for someone with dark hair, hoping I could find Arwen or Elrond.

"Haven't quite figured that out yet." She replied, her eyes wandering through the people.

A frown settled on my face, before I released a sigh and approached the nearest elf. He was a male elf, dressed in pale garb with blonde hair and fair blue eyes.

"Excuse me, but we are looking for Legolas Thranduilion. Or perhaps you could direct us towards Lord Elrond, or his daughter Arwen." I asked as politely as possible.

The elf arched a brow before pointing towards the area nearest the center of the courtyard. "There you will find those who you are looking for."

"Hannon lle." I said, using the little bit of Sindarin that I had learned from Legolas before bowing my head and moving towards where the elf had pointed.

"You could have asked for Nimiwen." Saffy pointed out.

"True, but darling, I was going with people who I think they would know. Elrond and Arwen and both royalty, and Legolas is the son of a king." I replied, glancing back as I made my way through the elf-sea. I caught Saffy rolling her eyes and laughed.

"Elrond!" I cried, spying a dark-head amongst the sea of blonde. The dark-haired elf turned around and there stood the Lord of Rivendell. "Thank goodness we found you. Have you seen Legolas and Nimiwen?"

"Both are at the front of our delegation, Deirdre. I believe they are awaiting the two of you." Elrond replied, nodding his head towards the very front.

"Thanks, Elrond." I cheerfully said before waving and continuing to weave my way towards the front.

"Deirdre!" "Saffron!" Two calls came at once from the direction ahead of us. I espied both Nimiwen and Legolas dressed in dress clothing standing side by side with smiles on their faces.

"Legolas," I cried as I rushed forward and embraced him tightly. "Sweetheart, I think that you need to dye your hair. I was thinking maybe green."

"Why?" he asked, fear in his tone.

"That way I can find you in a sea of blonde elves." I replied with a smirk.

A laugh bubbled from his lips before he leaned down and pressed a kiss softly to my lips. I couldn't help but grin when he pulled away and looked at me.

"So is that a no to green hair?" I asked teasingly.

"Only if you dye your pink." He replied, smiling as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his side.

"No to the green hair then." I summarized with a grin.

"Men of Gondor," a voice cried out, I half recognized it as belonging to Faramir. "Hear now the Steward of this Realm!"

All the noise and chattered that had filled the courtyard died down. Quite an impressive feat considering there had to be somewhere over a thousand people gathered.

"Behold! One has come to claim the kingship again at last. Here is Aragorn son of Arathorn, chieftain of the Dúnedain of Arnor, Captain of the Host of the West, bearer of the Star of the North, wielder of the Sword Reforged, victorious in battle, whose hands bring healing, the Elfstone, Elessar of the line of Valandil, Isildur;s son, Elendil's son of Númenor. Shall he be king and enter into the City and dwell there?" Faramir's voice proclaimed and I moved slightly forward so I could see the man talking.

"Holy crap! Why does Aragorn have so many titles?" I whispered kind of loudly to Legolas, Nimiwen, and Saffy; which really just earned me shushing from some of the elves around me.

The cheer of "Yea" rang out through the crowd at once, every person agreeing that the heir to the throne should return.

"Men of Gondor, the loremasters tell that it was custom of old that the king should receive the crown from his father ere he died; or if that might not be, that he should go alone and take it from the hands of his father in the tomb where he was laid. But since these things must now be done otherwise, using the authority of the Steward, I have today brought hither from Rath Díne the crown of Eärnur the last king, whose days passed in the time of our longfathers of old." Faramir continued.

I watched as the guards who surrounded him stepped forward while Faramir moved forward and opened a great casket which was set before him. He reached inside and pulled out an ancient crown, which was all white with seven gems of adamant surrounding a shining gem in the center. Aragorn took up the crown and raised it into the air as he began to speak.

"Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar temm' Ambar-metta!" **Out of the Great Sea to Middle-Earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world.** He lightly sang the words, his voice ringing out clearly throughout the entirety of the courtyard.

Gasps were heard in the courtyard when Aragorn handed the crown back to Faramir, before he spoke. "By the labour and valour of many I have come into my inheritance. In token of this I would have the Ring-bearer bring the crown to me, and let Mithrandir set it upon my head, if he will; for he has been the mover of all that has been accomplished, and this is his victory."

Through the crowd, Frodo made his way to the front and stood before Faramir before taking the offered crown from his hands. The hobbit strode towards Gandalf and offered the crown. Aragorn dropped to his knees, kneeling before Gandalf as the wizard placed the crown on his head.

"Now come the days of the King. May they be blessed." Gandalf proclaimed with a smile as he looked at Aragorn.

As Aragorn rose from the ground, cheers and applause exploded until he held up his hand to silence them. "This day does not belong to one man, but to all. Let us together rebuild this world, that we may share in the days of peace."

Once again cheering and applause rang out, along with cries of "Long live the King". I cheered like I was at a sporting event, with the obnoxious scream cheering and all, much to the displeasure of a lot of the elves who stood around me. Finally, Saffy just put her hand over my mouth. Aragorn walked forward towards the crowd, while people moved away and bowed when he passed by them. He passed by Eomer with a nod, slowly making his way over to our part of the courtyard. My eyes glanced over to where Faramir now stood, with his arm loosely around Eowyn's waist, both of them smiled at the newly crowned king. Aragorn came to a stop in front of us, a smile on his face.

"Hannon lle." Aragorn says, resting his hand on Legolas' shoulder as my elf reciprocates.

His eyes travel over towards Saffy, Nimiwen and I, the three of us smile as we bow our heads. I couldn't help but watching him look beyond Legolas at the elves moving forward with a banner carried before the elf in the center, hiding their identity. Aragorn slowly moves forward, as if in a trance while the elf lowers the banner, revealing the lovely Arwen standing behind. Her hair is decorated by white crystals that it is impossible not think are amazingly beautiful. Aragorn moved the banner from her hands, absentmindedly handing it to an elf standing nearby. Her eyes dropped down, looking away from Aragorn for a moment, before he lifted her chin to meet eyes with her. A moment of silence holds between the two of them before he pulls her to him in a passionate kiss. I couldn't help the 'awwww' that escaped my mouth at the sight and neither could most of the other women around me. I leaned in closer to Legolas, who wrapped both his arms around me.

Hand in hand, Aragorn and Arwen moved out from inside the delegation of elves and continued walking amongst the people of Gondor, until finally they came to a stop in front of the four hobbits who stood awkwardly for a moment before bowing lowly.

"My friends," Aragorn began, causing the hobbits to raise their heads. "You bow to no one."

With that said he dropped down in a low bow, which triggered everyone else. On one knee, I looked up to watch the four hobbits as they finally stood taller than everyone else in the crowd, by a few inches. The four of them looked totally awkward being the center of the courtyard with everyone bowing down to them. Aragorn rose with a smile towards the hobbits and again the chain reaction ensued with everyone standing up.

"My friends, the celebration awaits." Aragorn proclaimed to the entirety of the crowd, earning more cheers.

After an amazing feast with more food than I ever thought I would see, we headed back out to the courtyard where there were musicians beginning to play music and slowly people began dancing around the courtyard.

"Would you do me the honor of a dance?" Legolas asked, smiling at me.

"I have no idea how to do any of these dances, you know that right?" I questioned him, quirking an eyebrow.

"I don't think I will mind too much." He replied, before taking my hand and pulling into the midst of the dancers and spinning me around before pulling me tightly into him.

I definitely didn't know the steps to the dance, but Legolas didn't seem to mind much. Especially considering I wasn't stepping on his feet, occasionally he would lift me off the ground and spin me about. The lively music switched to a slow song, which made me grin. It was just like one of the old dances I used to have at school, they would switch between the fast dance songs and the slow romantic songs. Legolas pulled me tight to him, probably ignoring the rules of propriety but I still loved it.

"Our quest has come to an end, melethnin." He stated quietly into my ear as we slowly moved together.

"Yes, it has. Though I don't know what to do next." I replied with a small sad smile, knowing that now my knowledge was totally useless and I didn't actually have a home to return to in Middle Earth.

"I was hoping that you would come home with me in a few weeks' time. To meet my father and see Mirkwood." He suggested lightly.

"I would love to." I answered with a smile, leaning up and pressing my lips lightly to his.

Together, Legolas and I enjoyed our first real celebration, glad that it was Aragorn's coronation that brought such happiness. The dancing and celebrating continued into the morning hours until the sun was beginning to crest of the horizon, heralding the new day. The first full day of the reign of Elessar.

***End Chapter 39***

So, I decided that I wanted to have more to the ceremony than just what the movie had, so the first main part of the coronation is from _The Return of the King_ pages 945-946 in my massive book. Sorry if it's kind of short again, but it's a nice happy light chapter.

Read and Review please XD


	41. Chapter 40

"_Elvish dialogue"_

A/N: I don't own Lord of the Rings, or anything.

***Chapter 40***

**Deirdre's POV**

A moan escaped my lips, as I awoke to the sensation of open-mouthed kisses against my neck, nipping lightly. My eyes fluttered open and I glanced down to see Legolas' blonde head against my neck, leaving love bites across my skin.

"Good morning, melethnin." Legolas said, pulling away from my neck and leaning forward to place a kiss on my lips.

"Mmm, I love it when you wake me like that, babe." I sighed, before pressing our lips together once more.

We kissed for a few more minutes before he pulled away and slowly began to leave the bed. A frown crossed my face when I realized that he was going to leave.

"Where are you headed, love?" I asked, leaving the warmth of the sheets as I followed him out of bed. The cold air assaulted my bare skin and I failed at suppressing a shiver.

"We need to get dressed, melethnin. We are leaving today." He answered, moving back over towards me and kissing me once more before moving to grab clothing and slip it on.

"I wish we could just stay here forever, never have to leave our room." I informed him, wrapping my arms around his waist and pressing a kiss in between his shoulder blades.

His chest shook with laughter as he turned in my arms and wrapped his arms around me. "So do I. However, I must return to Mirkwood now that the quest is complete and Aragorn is upon the throne of Gondor."

"True, will you tell me what Mirkwood is like?" I asked him, grabbing a corset from the chair beside the bed and slipping it over my head.

"I have told you every day for two weeks now. I don't know what else to tell you about it." He replied, now almost entirely dressed as he pulled on his boots.

"Yes, but you can't blame me for wanting to know more. Besides, you hardly ever tell me about your father. Should I be worried that he won't approve of me?" I asked, my worry seeping into my tone as I looked at Legolas.

With a smile he rose from the bed and moved over towards me. After pressing a kiss to the side of my neck, he began lacing up the back of my corset as he spoke.

"How could anyone not approve of you?" he questioned while his fingers deftly adjusted the ties.

"I don't know. I'm allowed to be nervous about meeting your father, aren't I?" I questioned, half teasing him.

"There is no reason for you to worry. I love you and he will as well." He informed me, spinning me around as he had finished with the laces. "Though nowhere near as much as I do."

I sighed in happiness at that and kissed him softly, loving the way that his lips moved against mine and the sweet taste that was Legolas. He pulled away from me, moving his lips across my cheek before lingering on the shell of my ear. His breath teased the delicate point before he pulled back and took a step away from me.

"Come, melethnin. We must finish preparing for our departure." He said, collecting his weapons that had been resting on a chair in the corner of the room.

I smirked at the thought that even though we were safe in Minas Tirith he was still insistent on keeping his weapons nearby, always ready for an attack. Then again, my own weapons had been sitting on the same chair as his. I pulled my traveling dress on quickly before slipping on my boots and fastening my weapons about my person.

We left our room and made our way to the garden near the royal chambers. The majority of the highest circle of Minas Tirith was intended for use by the nobility and royalty of Gondor. But within the main part of the palace itself, there were the rooms set aside for the King and his family. Legolas and I made our way through the royal quarters until we found the door which led to the garden where we would be eating with the others.

Sitting at the table in the center of the garden were Aragorn, Arwen, Saffy, Nimiwen, Gimli, and the four hobbits. The table was laden with fruits, cooked sausages, and various breads; crystal glasses were filled with sparkling liquid. We took the open seats at the table where there was a plate laid out in front of each chair.

"What took you so long?" Saffy asked, "Or do we want to know?"

I rolled my eyes while there were a few chuckles around the table before responding. "I don't like mornings. I haven't changed that much."

Saffy smiled at me before placing a piece of fruit in her mouth. Legolas had already begun placing some of the food on both his plate and mine.

"Are you all sure that you want to depart today?" Arwen asked to our group. "You will always be welcome here."

I couldn't help but smile at Arwen. A pure white crown rested on her head, contrasting with her dark hair. Aragorn had requested we remain in Minas Tirith for a while, not only so that we could ensure that all the hobbits were healed but also for his wedding to Arwen. It had been a beautiful affair, held in the courtyard outside of the main hall of the palace. The white blossoms that had grown on the white tree since Aragorn's return had blown fairly down and drifted in the air like snowflakes.

"It is time that we return to the Shire; I have missed the hills and pastures." Frodo admitted to Arwen, explaining his desire to return home.

"And I need to return to my home once more. But hopefully we will return soon." Legolas informed Arwen who nodded her head understandingly.

We all chatted lightly during the meal, knowing that we would not see Arwen and Aragorn for a while or in the hobbits case probably ever again. Legolas and I were going to return to Gondor if he could get consent from his father to establish an elven home near to Gondor so that he could be an advisor to Aragorn. Gimli was going to travel with us, as he was still close friends with Legolas. They had both promised each other that they would return and visit both the caves of Helm's Deep for Gimli and Fangorn Forest for Legolas. Because of this, I was going along with them for these visits. But luckily all the others were going to remain with us for a time. We all would escort the hobbits back to the borders of the Shire, where they would continue on their way home separately. Then our remaining group would travel to Lothlorien, where Saffy and Nimiwen would remain while Gimli, Legolas, and I would continue on to Mirkwood.

We left behind the table in the garden and walked to the stables as a group. Each saddling our horses or ponies while Gimli stood off to one side watching Legolas attend to their horse Dallin. After a few minutes of the only sound in the stable being that of leather moving across leather and bags being tied to their saddles, I led Bladen out of the stable by the reins.

Standing outside in the courtyard were Aragorn and Arwen, waiting to say farewell to our party. It seemed strange that I was going to be leaving for a journey without Aragorn. Slowly, the fellowship was dissolving and returning to how life was meant to be. Gandalf had already left Minas Tirith to take care of something, not entirely sure but I think it had to do with one of the other wizards of his order that was still alive in Middle Earth. But then again, Gandalf was still to this day a very private wizard who didn't always share what he was planning. Now though, we were leaving behind our secondary leader, who had guided us through many perils and now was the ruler of the largest kingdom of men in Middle Earth.

"My friends, never hesitate to come and stay here. Minas Tirith will always be open to you all. May your journeys be safe and the Valar be with you." Aragorn told us, as he watched our group which had gathered in the courtyard before him.

I moved forward and gave him a tight hug, before saying "Never fear, Aragorn. We will meet again. I'm sure of it."

He smiled and nodded his head before pulling away and embracing Saffy who had approached. Hesitantly I moved towards Arwen, we hadn't grown as close as I had with her husband, but since she had come to Minas Tirith it was nice to have another woman around. We had all gotten together, along with Eowyn when she wasn't spending time with Faramir, and spent some time planning the wedding. Arwen smiled at me before opening her arms and we embraced each other.

"Namaarie, melamins." **Farewell, my friends.** Arwen said after we had all given farewell embraces.

I mounted Bladen and our party took off, making our way through the levels of the city after waving our last goodbyes to the King and Queen of Gondor.

The days passed on the plains, it only took about five days for us to reach Edoras; we had planned to stop there for a night to see Eomer settling in as King of Rohan before we continued on towards Helm's Deep.

Weeks had passed since our departure from Minas Tirith. And since then, we had traveled through Rohan and up through the pass beyond Isengard until we reached Bree. The hobbits bade us farewell, planning on returning to the shire the same way that they had left it, only this time on ponies. A sad smile crossed my face when the time came for their departure.

"I hope to see you all again one day." I said before pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads.

When the hobbits departed, there had been many tears and hugs. I hated to see the hobbits leave. Especially since I knew that the likelihood I would ever see any of the hobbits, other than Frodo, again was slim to none.

Our path took us through Rivendell before we headed through the mountain paths and reached the edges of Lothlorien. We walked under the eaves before we were stopped by the forest guard of Lothlorien, who when they recognized Nimiwen allowed us entry into the elven kingdom and we traveled to see Caras Galadhon once more.

To be perfectly honest, I didn't expect Gimli to continue on with Legolas and me after he had once again seen Lady Galadriel. And he didn't, he remained behind in Lothlorien, promising that he would visit Mirkwood soon, but wanted to spend some more time under the golden trees and in the company of Lady Galadriel.

So here we were, Legolas and I alone traveling along the side of the Anduin River, heading towards Mirkwood. It was a shame that we couldn't take one of the boats any further than our crossing, but considering that we were headed against the current of the river, it would have been more trouble than it was worth.

My eyes came back into focus one morning when we were probably only about three days from the edges of the forest which housed Mirkwood. Legolas was lying beside me, his arms wrapped around my frame and providing me warmth through the night. He must have felt my slight shift when I awoke as he shifted around me, showing that he was conscious. His lips danced across the rim of my ear, earning a sigh from me as I turned in his arms.

"Deirdre, melethnin," he began, slowly stroking my face as he stared into my eyes. "There has been something that I wanted to ask you."

"What is it, my love?" I questioned, running my fingers through his hair as I awaited his question.

"I love you so much, and I was wondering if you would do me the honor of marrying me." He quietly asked, seeming almost nervous.

I smiled softly to him hoping to ease his nerves before responding happily with a "Yes!" and pressing a passionate kiss to his lips.

That day we rode as close to each other as possible and I don't think that either of us stopped smiling for the entirety of the day.

We reached the forest of Mirkwood two days later and I watched a change come over Legolas. Instead of looking fairly carefree, as he had the previous day and before when we traveled and only rarely keeping watch intensely for any Orcs that may be around, he watched every shadow as though it contained Sauron himself. Because of this, my own guard was up significantly, a hand resting on one of my swords most of the time as we made our way among the shadow infested forest.

A distant sound roused our attention from somewhere nearby in the forest, seeming to be coming closer, as though it was a rustling in the trees. Suddenly, a flash of fear filled me, as I imagined that it could be a giant spider. A spider would be bad enough, because I was terrified of a regular little household spider. But one the size of a horse? I think I might pass out now. I would rather face an entire army of Sauron's forces on my own than a single giant spider.

Legolas whipped his bow from his back in a second, and had an arrow notched immediately. I tried to be as fast, but was a few seconds slower. However, my bow was out long before the sound came within about twenty feet of our location.

"_Prince Legolas, you have returned."_ A voice came from our right, amongst the shadows.

The only words of that I had understood was Legolas and you. But I had turned my bow and arrow in that direction, about to release the arrow.

"_Naril, is that you?"_ Legolas asked in return, lowering his bow.

I kept my bow pointed in the direction of the other person who had approached us, even as they stepped out of the shadows. It was a male elf, with gold hair similar to Legolas. I think gold hair must be an attribute of the Silvan elves, as the others of the party who stepped from the shadows had the same hair. The elf who addressed Legolas had no weapons drawn, though several were resting at both his sides as well as his back.

Legolas and the elf, I think named Naril but I wasn't sure, continued to talk in Elvish and I wasn't sure if I should put my bow away or do something.

"Uh, what's happening?" I asked, finally annoyed with not understanding a single thing going on around me.

"I apologize, Deirdre. This is Naril. He was one of the elves that I patrolled with. He is going to escort us back to the city." Legolas explained then eyed the way that I still held the bow and arrow, prepared to fire. "You should be safe to put away your arrow, my love. We are in good company."

I nodded my head and replaced my arrow, before spurring Bladen to walk alongside Legolas. The elves that had approached us were now moving through the trees, some on the high branches and others moving through the underbrush as though they were ghosts.

We reached a complex cave structure that held the city inside it. The walls of the caverns were smooth and they were lit by great torches. After a few minutes, it stopped feeling as though we were underground. Legolas dismounted from Dallin and came over to me to help me down, while an elf came to take our horses to the stables. I paused for a moment from the nerves, realizing that I was very close to meeting Legolas' father. Legolas must have realized that I was nervous as he turned to me and brushed a strand of hair away from my face before bending down and pressing his lips to mine.

"I told you not to worry, my love." He assured, stroking my hair. "My father will absolutely love you. There is no reason for you to fear."

I nodded my head, even though there was still a feeling in my stomach that my meeting his father wasn't going to go as smooth as he thought that it was. Maybe it was because I was mortal and knew that his father wouldn't be too happy about our relationship, because I was endangering his only son's immortality. After another quick kiss, Legolas led the way through the caverns until we reached a great set of double doors that seemed as though they were thirty feet tall. I took a deep breath and looked at Legolas, smiling gently. He returned the smile before pulling the door open.

Inside was a great chamber, with a throne set upon the far wall. There were tables set up along the side of the room, and I couldn't help but be reminded of both Rohan and Rivendell at the same time. Instead of having windows looking out onto gardens like they did in Rivendell, there were paintings and carvings along the walls. It seemed as though tree roots had crept through the rock, as vines wrapped around the pillars and crept along the wall. The overall affect was that the room was stunning. Sitting on the throne, was a fair-haired elf dressed in green livery. He looked directly at us as we walked into the room, before he rose from his seat and descended the steps before his throne.

"Legolas, you have returned." He declared, seemingly to have realized that I probably didn't understand Elvish. Either that or he had gotten a warning ahead of time from one of the guards that I only spoke the common tongue. "And who is this lovely creature that you have brought with you?"

"Father, I would like to introduce you to Deirdre." Legolas said as he presented me to his father. "The woman I intend to marry."

**End Chapter 40**

There is chapter 40, I know that it isn't the best, but I promise that the following chapter will be better. For those of you who are curious about the names of the horses, the names are old English. Bladen means Glory, and Dallin means people's pride. Mortal Elf is coming to a close soon, I think there will only be one more chapter after this and then an epilogue.

Please Read and Review


	42. Chapter 41

"_Elvish Dialogue_"

**Chapter 41**

***Deirdre's POV***

"Father, I would like to introduce you to Deirdre." Legolas said as he presented me to his father. "The woman I intend to marry."

I watched as the smile that had graced Thranduil's face dropped. The older elf looked a lot like Legolas and looking at the two of them together it was obvious their relation. But now, instead of the smile that I was used to being on Legolas' face that had danced across his father's, now Thranduil looked stoic and cold. Fire burned in the eyes of the elf king.

Angry words in elvish burst from the kings mouth as he began ranting to Legolas, in a language that I only caught random words in.

"_What are you thinking? That you can just marry the first mortal girl that you find? You are the Prince of Mirkwood. I thought I raised you to understand your responsibility._" Thranduil exploded. "_Do you not understand what it will be like when she dies!_"

I stood there with my gaze fixed on the king as I tried to pick out any words that I knew. My eyes flashed wide when I heard the word "Die" in there. I quickly turned to look at Legolas, who looked as though he was going to murder his father. I was thankful that he hadn't reached for his weapons yet.

"_Not only is it none of your business what will happen should Deirdre ever die. But it is not your business who I love!" _Legolas returned, his voice coming out harsher that I ever really remember. I think the last time that I heard him like this was when we fought after I came back from Isenguard.

"_Love? You think love will help you at all when she is old and crippled? When death comes to claim what you thought was yours?_" Thranduil returned, raising his voice louder.

Slowly, I raised my hand as though I had a question. But it seemed that I was going to be ignored by the two arguing elves.

"Umm, I hate to interrupt." I began, causing both Legolas and his father to whip and around and look at me.

Legolas' face melted from that of anger as he looked at me, but his father still looked as furious if not more so than before.

"Why don't we all try and talk this out reasonably." I suggested to the elves. "In a language we all understand."

"Reasonably?" Thranduil said harshly, laughing at the word. "You expect me to be reasonable when talking to the mortal that is going to be the death of my son?"

His words shocked me slightly, as I tried to think what he was meaning. Suddenly, it clicked in my mind. He thought that I was going to die of old age and leave Legolas behind to grieve. I couldn't exactly blame him for this thought, as I wasn't entirely sure about what my own longevity was going to be like.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves as well as the slight anger that simmered beneath the surface of my mind from Thranduil's reaction to me, before I turned to Legolas with a small smile on my face.

"Would you mind if I talked to your father alone, love?" I requested, knowing that it wasn't fair for Legolas to have to be torn between his father and myself.

He nodded his head before pressing a kiss to my cheek and leaving the room. I turned back to face the elf king, who bore an expression of fury upon his face as he looked at me.

"King Thranduil, please believe me when I say that I understand how you are feeling." I began, trying to calm the elf as quickly as possible.

"And why would I believe that?" he questioned harshly. "Not only have I lost my wife, but now you will take my son from me as well?"

"I don't intend to take your son from you. I would never dream of hurting him." I told him, honesty leaking into my tone.

"Just because you don't intend for it to happen doesn't mean that it won't." Thranduil responded.

"How about I make a deal with you?" I offered, pausing until he nodded. "I will swear to you that I will do everything in my power to prevent Legolas from hurt. But should I fail, you are free to take him away into the west where I will be nothing more than a memory."

Thranduil paused for a moment, staring directly at me as though trying to see through me, before he responded. "Why would you make a deal like this?"

"Because I love your son, more than life itself. I would rather die a thousand deaths than cause him an ounce of pain." I replied without hesitation, my mind traveling back to my near death.

"We have an accord." Thranduil announced, nodding his head.

I gave a small smile to him, but I was somewhat confused that he had agreed without more of an argument. Still, I nodded my head in response.

Thranduil smiled and began walking towards the door that Legolas had left through, speaking as he made is way across the throne room. "I am sure that you and Legolas have quite a story to tell of the quest that you both took part in. I would be glad to hear what has occurred, for we have much to talk about."

I made a sound of acceptance, still somewhat reeling from the change in his demeanor. He had gone from the cold angry elf king, that I imagined was how he greeted the dwarves when they were captured on their quest to restore the treasure of the King under the mountain, to a happy elf father that it was hard to believe he had ever been cold towards me.

**Saffy's POV**

It had been over a year since I had come to Lothlorien and I was missing Di something fierce. We had had some correspondence since she had arrived in Mirkwood with Legolas, but it still wasn't the same as when we had spent most every moment of every day together. I was sitting in the talan that I shared with Nimiwen in Lothlorien while she was away on a border patrol. The power of Galadriel's ring was fading, and so it was more important than ever to have more elves watching out for danger along the borders of Lothlorien.

With a sigh of loneliness, I curled up on the stuffed chair in our living room with a book. It was an elvish to common translation guide, the closest thing to a dictionary that Nimiwen could find me. She had been trying to teach me Elvish since I had begun living in Lothlorien.

My labor was interrupted by a knock on the entrance to my talan. I set the book down on the chair and quickly moved to the door, opening it to find a messenger standing before me.

"A letter has arrived for you from Mirkwood, Lady Saffron." The messenger announced offering a letter out to me.

"Thank you." I responded taking it and nodding my head to him. With a smile the messenger departed, leaving me staring at the letter in my hands.

I slipped back inside, before settling down on the chair that I had previously occupied and opened the envelope.

_Dear Saffy,_

_I hope that you are doing well. How is everything going with you and Nimiwen? I know that is has been far too long since last I wrote to you. But everything has been so very busy. To be perfectly frank, writing to you wasn't the entire point in sending this letter. So go ahead and look in the envelope now and read the other parchment before you finish this letter._

Curiosity filled me as I peered inside the envelope again to see that it held another piece of parchment, this one small enough that it had not needed to be folded to fit into the envelope. I pulled it out of the envelope and turned it over so that the writing on the paper was faced towards me.

_Lady Saffron, _

_You are invited to attend the wedding of Prince Legolas Greenleaf Thranduillon and Lady Deirdre of the house of Roberts. We would be most honored should you choose to stay in the palace of Mirkwood for the summer months. The wedding will be held June the 21__st__ at sunset in celebration of the beginning of summer. In hopes of your attendance,_

_ The house of Mirkwood _

My eyes widened as I finished reading the invitation. Deirdre was getting married. The shock filled me for a moment before a cheer erupted from my lips and I jumped up from my seat, spilling the letter and envelope on the floor before me, as I danced in joy that my best friend was getting married to her love. I spied on the floor the letter that I had been in the middle of reading before I read the wedding invitation. Picking it back up, I resumed reading where I had left off.

_Are you done? Good. 'Cause there is still a lot that I still need to tell me. So it's obvious that I'm getting married. To Legolas! Sorry, had to get that out there. But since I'm getting married, then the next question should be the most obvious thing ever. Will you be my maid of honor? I really hope that you are nodding your head yes right now. I know that the invitation says for you to come for summer, but Legolas and I talked about it. And we were hoping that you, Nimiwen, and Gimli would maybe come in early spring. I could really use having someone who knows me so well around when it comes to the wedding planning. Besides, we need to get a dress made for you. So far the planning has been driving me insane. Why couldn't I just elope? Oh, yeah, I'm marrying a prince. Please say that you will be able to come. I have missed you so very much and honestly I think if I don't see you again soon the remainders of my sanity will be completely gone. And stop that thought about how I don't have any sanity left right now, because it is being driven out of me by flower arrangements. I can't wait to see you and have girl talk. I love you Saffy, you are my best friend and the keeper of my brain. _

_ Love Di_

A laugh breached my lips as I read the last of her letter. I read through the entire letter once more with a smile on my face before getting up from the chair and making my way out of my talan. Lothlorien was beautiful as fall began to change the leaves on the mallorn trees. As I walked through the forest I understood why it was called the golden wood, the bark of the trees was silver but the leaves were a golden hue which refracted the light of the sun beautifully. The talan that Nimiwen and I shared was on the southern border of the city of Caras Galadhon near to the gate. So I made my way towards the center of the elven city to where I knew Gimli's talan to be. It was nearer to both the ground and the lady of Lothlorien. Galadriel had granted it to Gimli so that he could speak with her on occasion as his love of her was well known throughout the realm. As I walked further into the city, the trees grew taller and one of the larger trees held the ladder leading to Gimli's talan. I climbed the twenty feet up until I reached his door, where I knocked gently but firmly enough that the dwarf could hear me.

"Ah, Saffron. I was wondering when I would see your face." Gimli roared as he opened the door and saw that it was me before him. "I assume that you got one of these letters from the happy couple as well."

"Indeed I did, Gimli." I replied, smiling at the dwarf.

"Well, come on in. No need to stand outside on this tree all day." He invited, stepping back to let me into his talan.

"Thank you, Gimli." I said as I entered.

"So I take it they want you to come in the early spring as well." Gimli began, causing me to nod in return.

"Yes, Di was telling me about how the wedding arrangements were driving her insane." I told him, earning a laugh.

"Aye, the lad said something similar. Only it was more to the effect of his lass always being busy with wedding preparations driving him insane." Gimli returned.

We both sat in his talan for the rest of the afternoon, talking about the upcoming nuptials of our companions.

**Deirdre's POV**

My nerves were frayed beyond belief. The months had flown by since Saffy had gotten here in a flurry of fittings and meetings and nowhere near enough time spent with my fiancé. Legolas and I had decided that we would wait to make love again until our wedding night. And because of that, we were both frustrated beyond belief. Not that the wedding preparations were helping at all. But it was all going to be better today. At least that was what I told myself.

It was my wedding day and I was not going to give in to any anxiety. It wasn't that I was nervous to marry Legolas; I was so happy that I was going to marry him. But I was quite nervous about the fact that I was going to be a princess of Mirkwood. So here I sat in my dressing room, fidgeting in front of the mirror as my maid Sorwen stood behind me fixing my hair. By the time that it had come to decide how to fix my hair, I was so tired of making decisions for the wedding that I left it entirely up to her. So she was now doing a romanticized version of the elven warrior braids.

As she was finishing up, she slipped a delicate circlet shaped to look like leaves upon my head. I looked in the mirror and was amazed to see how I looked. I really did seem to be a princess out of a fairytale with soft features and delicately pointed ears. It had taken this long, but finally I understood what Legolas had meant when he called me edhelai talien, little elf princess.

"There." She proclaimed, fixing one last stray hair before pulling her hands away proudly. "Beautiful."

"Thank you so much, Sorwen. I don't know what I would have done without you." I told her, smiling.

"You probably would have gone out to get married with twigs in your hair." She teased, recalling one of the times I had come back into the caves completely bedraggled with dirt smeared across my face with leaves and twigs stuck in my long hair.

"Hey, Di. Are you just about ready?" Saffy poked her head through the open doorway.

"I'm ready to go. What about you and the others?" I returned, rising from my seat and picking up my bouquet of flowers.

"All good to go." She replied.

With that I followed her out of my chamber and into the anteroom where the other bridesmaids were waiting. Each was dressed in a dress of the same style as the others, the only difference being the pastel color. Nimiwen was dressed in a green gown, Arwen in a purple, Eowyn in a pink, and Saffron was dressed in a light blue. My own dress was a creamy ivory color with hints of silver along the sleeves. Each of our dresses had a corseted bodice, emphasizing each small waist before flowing out gracefully from the hips and pooling down at the ground with a train. Each of the bridesmaids wore a simple silver circlet upon their heads.

The dressmakers had found it strange when I asked them to have all the dresses be the same as mine aside from color, but I wanted to follow an old tradition. It stated that the reason a bride had bridesmaids was that all would wear the same dress as the bride, so that should any attempt to curse the bride any magic used against her would be confused as to the target and the bride would be free from bad luck on her wedding day. It was something that my brother had told me about when we had helped my sister prepare for her wedding, and I had thought it was a sweet tradition.

The sounds of sweet music filled the air as Eowyn took her place as first in the procession. The doors leading into the garden where the ceremony was being held swung open and Eowyn slowly began walking down the carpeted aisle towards where Legolas stood with his groomsmen. To his left was Aragorn, his chosen best man. And then it continued down with Gimli, Oron, and Uron who were his best friends before he left for Rivendell.

Arwen followed Eowyn down the aisle, then Nimiwen, and finally Saffy was set to go. She turned to face me and gave me a reassuring hug before she turned and made her way down the aisle. She stood across from Aragorn and it was my turn to walk down the aisle. I slowly made my way through the doors, eyes focused solely on Legolas as he stood at the altar, his eyes locked on mine. A smile made its way to my face as I stared at him; his blonde hair was tied back in the usual warrior braids fashion and upon his head rested a crown of intertwining leaves. His tunic was silvery with tree branches stitched into the fabric. For once there were no weapons at his disposal and the sight seemed strange to me, even within the halls of the palace in Mirkwood he usually kept at least his daggers with him. His blue eyes bore into mine and I barely pulled my eyes away from his to notice his appearance.

I took my place across the altar from him, as Gandalf stood behind the pedestal to officiate the wedding.

"Lords and Ladies, today we have gathered to celebrate the love between Legolas and Deirdre. There is no doubt in the bond that they share with one another. Today they come before us to solidify the bond in matrimony to signify their desire to not only share the rest of their lives, but also their hearts and their souls." Gandalf proclaimed to the guests who watched the ceremony. "Please join hands."

I handed my bouquet off to Saffy before grasping hands with Legolas. I smiled at him through the film of water that filled my eyes. He smiled back at me and rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand in a comforting manner.

"Deirdre, what is it that you would ask of your husband for your marriage?" Gandalf asked me.

"May you never steal, lie, or cheat. But if you do steal, steal away all my sorrows. If you do lie, lie with me all the nights of our lives. And if you do cheat, cheat death because I couldn't bear to live a day without you by my side."

"Legolas, will you do what Deirdre has asked of you?" Gandalf turned to my elf.

"I will."

"What would you ask of your wife for your marriage?"

"Deirdre, may we pass away all our days unto the ending of the world together. I would ask that you share with me not only your joy and your achievements but also your fears and your pain. To give to me your love, and to in return take my love for you which I freely offer. May you never turn from me, or find solace in the arms of another when I could be the one that you run to. To love me, as I love you." Legolas said, looking me straight in the eyes.

Tears of joy cascaded down my cheeks slowly and I didn't have the power within me to hold them back any longer. I was nodding my head in response to him before Gandalf even got a chance to ask if I would do these things. I still answered yes, though.

"Deirdre, what vows do you have to offer your betrothed on your wedding day?" Gandalf asked, looking at me gently.

"Legolas, I have loved you forever it seems. I promise to you, that not a day shall pass where I do not tell you that I love you. Not an ounce of pain will I inflict upon you. Never will I lie or cheat. But will pass my days from now unto the ending of the world by your side. I promise to love you forever, and should ever we be separated know that my heart will always belong to you, and you alone."

"Legolas, what vows do you have to offer your betrothed on your wedding day?" Gandalf asked him.

"Deirdre, I have stood by your side and seen both your beauty and a side of you that terrifies me. I vow to you, that I will stay by you, through thick or thin. Through the good times and the bad. To always love and honor you. To protect you when I may, and let you fight for yourself when you must. To offer whatever aid it is that I can give and to heal any wounds you carry, physical or not." Legolas promised, eyes shining with severity as he looked at me.

"Legolas, do you promise to love, honor, and keep Deirdre as your bride unto the ending of the world?" Gandalf asked him.

"I do."

"Legolas, please place the ring you offer as a sign of your commitment to Deirdre upon her finger." Gandalf instructed and Legolas slipped a golden band upon my finger next to the jeweled betrothal ring that he had had made for me.

"Deirdre, do you promise to love, honor and keep Legolas as your husband unto the ending of the world?" the wizard asked me.

"I do."

"Please place the ring you offer as a sign of your commitment to Legolas upon his finger." Gandalf repeated, causing me to slip a plain golden band upon his finger as I smiled up at him.

Gandalf smiled as he picked up a length of rope from Lothlorien and wound it around our joined hands, fastening them together and tying a knot.

"May this rope be a symbol of the bond between you and hold throughout the long days of your marriage." Gandalf said, lowering his hands. "You may kiss the bride."

With those words said, Legolas and I both leaned forward and pressed our lips together in a passionate embrace which was pushing the lines of what was appropriate. When we broke apart we stared into one another's eyes, unaware of the raucous applause which filled the air around us.

I don't really remember most of the reception; I know that there was a lot of feasting and drinking. The hobbits who had come all the way from the Shire to attend danced on the table, while Gimli tried to coax the elvish groomsmen into a drinking contest, having not learned his lesson from the contest with Legolas back in Rohan. I know that there had been much laughter when my garter ended up in Gimli's face, making him turn red. My bouquet got tossed into the arms of Eowyn, whose eyes caught Faramir. They were already engaged, so it was fairly obvious that they were going to be wed soon.

At some point, Legolas and I removed the rope from our hands, ensuring that it was still knotted. As the moon reached its zenith, we quit the party and made our way to the suite that Legolas had prepared for our use. During the months of preparing for the wedding, we had both shared wedding lore about our different cultures, which is why when he picked me up outside of our suite, I laughed. I had explained to him how it was believed to be bad luck to enter a house with your left foot first, and so traditionally the groom carried the bride over the threshold to ensure that in her nervous state she would not step over the threshold with her left foot first and bring bad luck upon the home.

He carried me to the bed where he set me down and sat beside me. Hands brushing my hair gently back behind my ear as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to my own. I reached my hands forward, twining my hands into his hair brushing against the sensitive points of his ears. His hands travelled from my neck, sliding down to the back of my wedding gown and unfastening the ties that laced the back. It loosened around my body and I felt him slowly tug it away from my body, leaving my breasts contained only by the corset. My hands drifted down and began tugging at the bottom of his tunic, slowly inching it up towards his head.

My head fell back as a moan escaped my mouth, Legolas' lips trailed down my throat to the base of my neck and danced across my collar bone. His tunic came off quickly, leaving his bare chest exposed and I brought my lips to his flesh. He lifted me off the bed, securing me in his arms as he removed my gown from my body. His fingers pulled at the ties on my back, before removing the loosened corset from me. I shimmied the undergarments remaining about my waist down my body, while continuing to hold Legolas' lips to mine in a fiery kiss. He pulled back for a moment, looking down at me lying prone on the bed prone before him with lust burning in his deep blue eyes.

His lips crashed back to mine as I pulled him down upon me, allowing him to nestle between my thighs. He was hard against me, restrained only by the cloth of his leggings. A moan escaped my lips as I felt his lips travel across my chin and down me until he reached my breasts, taking one nipple into his mouth while palming the other breast in his hand. Gasping as I felt his ministrations, I ground my hips against his. He groaned before biting lightly down on my hardened bud, then moved to the other breast and giving it the same treatment. My fingers weaved into his hair, teasing the sensitive points as I continued to writhe beneath him in pleasure. I shut my eyes to block everything out but the feeling of Legolas against me, one of his hands made its way down my body before finding its way to the sensitive bundle of nerves.

I moaned out his name before bucking my hips up to meet his hand. I opened my eyes to look at my husband; he raised his head from my chest feeling my gaze upon him. A smirk crossed his face before he trailed kisses down my stomach to my center. His lips settled and earned him a loud gasp which turned into a moan. His tongue and fingers worked in unison as I gripped the bed sheets by my sides, feeling the tension in the pit of my stomach. The feeling climbed higher and higher until I hit the breaking point and shattered with pleasure.

A satisfied smirk spread across Legolas' face as he watched me come down from my high, my breath still ragged as I looked at him. His leggings were off a minute later and he was crashing his lips to mine with passion as he spread my legs and readied himself at my entrance. He released my mouth for a moment, staring straight into my eyes before he plunged into me entirely, filling me. A scream of pleasure rent from my lips as he entered and turned into a slur of gasps and moans as he continued to pump into me. His mutterings turned to elvish, incoherent to my mind which was riddled with ecstasy. I clung to him as he continued to fuck me senseless, our passion rough and needy from the lack of release for so long. My nails raked down his back, earning groans as he continued to push into me. Finally, as we both climbed higher and higher we both fell off the edge, capturing each other's ecstasy in a fierce kiss.

Legolas collapsed onto the bed next to me, sweat covering his flesh as I snuggled against him. He wrapped his arms around me, running his fingers through my hair and un-plaiting the braids which had decorated my head. I traced patterns on his bare chest with my fingers. A yawn escaped my lips.

"Go to sleep now, melethnin." Legolas whispered. "You are tired."  
"I don't want to sleep." I replied. "I would much rather spend the night with my husband. Just lying in his arms."

"I promise I will be right here when you wake, melethnin." Legolas said, before pressing his lips to mine. "Now sleep, edhelai talien."

With those words, I slowly relaxed in his arms feeling my body slacken before allowing sleep to claim me.

***End Chapter 41***

There it is. By the way, the house of Roberts reference is her last name, Roberts is a last name that I found on a list of Scottish last names and I liked it. I know that the ceremony wasn't entirely traditional, but I thought it worked. And the music that I used while writing the wedding scene was _Arwen and Aragorn_ by David Arkenstone, his entire Music Inspired by the Lord of the Rings CD is beautiful. Just to clarify, there will not be a sequel to this story. However, there is going to be the alternate reality of if Deirdre had been taken to Mordor and married Sauron.

Please read and review. I would love to know what you think.


	43. Epilogue

A/N: I think by this point that you all know I don't own Lord of the Rings.

**Epilogue**

***Deirdre's POV***

My eyes came back into focus, finding myself upon a familiar stretch of beach. Looking around the area around me, I saw that there was no one around. With a shrug of my shoulder's I turned towards the water and headed into the icy waves.

It had been years since I had dreamed of the ocean, and specifically this stretch of sand. Not since I had been impaled by my swords after stabbing the Nazgul king had I been on this beach. I pushed those thoughts out of my mind as I embraced the sensation of the water. I dove under the water and felt the waves moving me through the waves. Rising above the water level, I breathed in a deep gulp of salty sea air. A longing stirred in my heart, as the sounds of waves crashing against the shore and gulls crying filled my ears.

"Deirdre!" A familiar voice that I hadn't heard in a long time filled my ears, pulling my attention back to the sandy stretch of land.

Standing there was the same elf that I had seen in my dreams since I first arrived in Middle Earth. Shaking my head, I dove under the water to ride the wave back to land. Water dripped from my hair as I trudged up onto the sand, before shaking my head like a dog to clear the water as best I could.

"Haven't seen you in a while." I commented, giving him a smile.

"There has not been a need to visit you. But I bring news to you, Deirdre." The elf stated solemnly and a pulse of anxiety speared through my body at his tone.

"What is it?" I questioned him, trying to calm my breathing.

"King Elessar has passed on to the Halls of Mandos." He informed me, the slightest hint of regret and sadness in his voice. "Your time in Middle Earth is ending."

I began to protest, but was interrupted by the sound of young voices calling out "Mama, Mama!"

My eyes came back into focus, shock filling me as I realized that I was back in my bedroom in our Elvish settlement near to Ithilien. Kneeling on the bed on either side of me were two girls with long blonde hair, one with striking blue eyes. The other had eyes which around the pupil were a blue but ebbed out to green at the edges, my eyes. I smiled looking at my daughters before me.

"Yes my darlings?" I questioned, sitting up in the bed while they sat back on their heels. A question filled my mind as I glanced out the window and spied that the sun had only just crossed the horizon. "What has roused you two before the sun has neared its peak?"

"Messengers have come from Minas Tirith, mama. And Ada won't let us know what is happening until you have been told." Solara began.

"So we came to wake you. Because we wanted to know what was going on." Selena finished.

I eyed my twin daughters as they took turns speaking. It was something that they had done since they first began speaking, finishing each other's thoughts. A laugh bubbled from my lips when I saw the look of impatience upon both their faces.

"Alright then, we shall go and see your father." I told them, earning cheers from my daughters.

They hopped off of the bed, the trains of their dresses trailing behind as they whipped through the air and out of the door to my chamber. Significantly slower, I climbed out of my bed and quickly dressed in a long green gown before brushing my hair and walking out the door. I found my way to the garden of our home, finding Legolas talking with a messenger from Gondor with Solara and Selena along with their younger brother Cunion.

When the time to name the children had Legolas and I had reached an agreement that I would let him choose the name for any boys if I got the right to choose the name of the girls. That is how I named the twins after the sun and moon, while our son Legolas named him roughly son of the bow.

"Deirdre, melethnin, I have bad news from Gondor." Legolas looked at me, water filling his eyes. The words from my dream came rushing back towards me and I felt the grief flood me.

"Aragorn is dead." The words ghosted out of my lips softly, filled with pain at the loss of our dear friend.

Legolas only nodded in response, moving towards me and wrapping his arms around me. Three smaller forms joined our hug, wrapping their arms around us. Our three children had joined in the grief, looking for reassurance from their parents. Slowly we broke away, and I looked into the eyes of first my husband before finding the blue and green eyes that belonged to my children.

Something snapped in my chest, a deep longing settling in my heart and I understood. My time in Middle Earth had come to an end. But so had my families. It was time that we left these shores and found our way to the land where there is no pain. I looked at Legolas, who still seemed to be so lost because of the news that we had just received.

"It's time for us to go home, love." I stated calmly.

He looked at me in confusion for a moment before he nodded his head. I could practically feel the curiosity radiating from my children. A smile crossed my face as I thought about finally introducing my children to Saffron. She had sailed across the seas about 45 years ago, while I was pregnant with the twins. I had hardly aged a day since I arrived in Middle Earth, but the same could not be said about my best friend. The day that she left for the west with Nimiwen, she was 24 years old.

Across the sea, the sight of land had finally come back to our eyes. I sat upon the prow looking towards the approaching shoreline, I couldn't help the feeling of déjà vu which came over me. I was interrupted from my thoughts however when I heard the voice of Solara and Selena calling my name, Cunion trailing behind them as they neared me.

"Mama, tell us a story. We are awfully bored, there's nothing to do on this ship." Solara complained plopping down onto the deck by my feet, swiftly followed by her siblings.

"Later tonight, my loves. We are almost there." I informed them, my eyes trailing from them back to the shore which was looking increasingly familiar the closer that we got to it.

"Are we finally going to meet Aunty Saffron and Aunty Nimiwen?" Selena enquired.

"And what about Frodo? The hobbit that you told us all about. The one who saved Middle Earth." Cunion added.

"Very soon, they are all awaiting us." I replied smiling at my three children.

On the top of the hill which overlooked the beach there stood several figures, as though they were waiting for us to land. As we sailed closer I thought it seemed that there were two women and a man standing atop the hill. Before I could see any of their features however, a flurry of activity erupted aboard our vessel as we prepared to land.

I stepped down off the plank which led ashore onto the sand and the feeling of déjà vu struck me once more. I glanced back up the hill to where the figures had been awaiting earlier to find that no one was there. Instead, the three figures were approaching our landing party.

"Deirdre!" The call came from one of the female figures, Saffron's voice.

"Saffy!" I cried out in return, running forward and embracing my best friend who hadn't aged a day since she left on the ships leaving for Valinor.

I looked over to the other female and saw that it was Nimiwen dressed in a gown like she had only been at my wedding. She moved forward and embraced me as I released Saffron. A gruff cry came from behind me, which was Gimli crying out Saffron's name as he saw her. The dwarf had come with us into the west, as there was little to nothing left of our fellowship remaining in the previous world. Finally my eyes alighted on the man. Or should I say male elf. It was the same one that I had spoken to in my dreams on this very beach.

"I am Lorien, Lord of Dreams." The elf announced his eyes meeting mine as Legolas came and grasped my hand in his. "And I welcome you all to Valinor."

***The End***

I am sad to say that this is the end of Mortal Elf. Though a very happy ending. I really hope that you all enjoyed it. I want you all to know that even though this story is done, I will continue writing on Fanfiction and hope that you will continue to read and give me your feedback. My next story is going to be titled Tainted Elf, which will be the alternative timeline to this story. So I hope you will all give it a chance.

Please Review for me one last time on this story!


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